Duty Calls
by Clairisant2000
Summary: This is the second story in the Calls series, but the main char has shifted from AJ to Mac. Unhappy with the new JAG she takes a new job with some very interesting consequences!
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Duty Calls

AUTHOR: Clairisant

CLASSIFICATION: Mac/Other

FEEDBACK: Would love to hear both good and bad feedback but please try to be kind and constructive. Clairisant

CREDITS: A special thank you to my beta readers Qupeydoll and Pricilla.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a sequel to Night Calls, and the idea came from our beta reader Pricilla.

Chapter 1

Thursday, July 6, 2003

1800 EST

Mac's Apartment

Georgetown, Virginia

When the Admiral had told her that there would be a Marine taking his place, Mac had been excited and eagerly looked forward to working with a fellow Corp member. It wasn't as if she hadn't liked working under Admiral Chegwidden, because she had. Oh sure, they'd had their occasional differences, but then who didn't? It was just when he'd told her his replacement would be a Marine; Mac had felt an esprit de corps.

Now however, it was two months later and she had to face facts. She and General Creswell were not getting along. It seemed no matter what she did, she couldn't please him. Try as she might, she always ended up on his bad side. Today was no exception. The newest lawyer to join their team had taken a fancy to her and no matter what she said to discourage him, it only seemed to have the opposite effect.

Vukovic took every chance he could find to 'chat her up' and invariably every time he did, General Creswell would come through the bullpen and see them. Today, Vukovic had trapped her in the break room and was trying to back her up against the counter when Creswell came in for a cup of coffee. He had ordered Mac to his office and given her a dressing down for allowing such behavior.

When Mac protested that she'd done everything short of kneeing him to discourage Vukovic, Creswell informed her he was disappointed in her. A Marine should be able to handle situations like that he told her. She agreed to try harder and left his office fuming. Luckily or wisely, Vukovic had avoided her the rest of the afternoon.

Mac, however, was still furious by the time she got home and was sorry at times like this that she was on the wagon. If it wouldn't be such an act of defeat to indulge, she would have loved to have a drink right then. But in the end, she knew that Vukovic wasn't worth it and she wouldn't give up years of sobriety for the likes of him.

Throwing down her cover and briefcase as she entered the apartment, Mac saw that her answering machine was blinking. Not sure she was really in the mood to deal with any new problems she was still too contentious not to see if it was work related. Hearing her Uncle Joe's voice caused her to smile. She hadn't heard from him in quite some time. Not that he was a real uncle, but because of his close friendship with her Uncle Matt, he had earned the honorary title. The message he had left simply said that he wanted to meet her for dinner some time very soon. He had something important to talk to her about.

She placed a call to Joseph Leland, the head of the secret service. When he came on the line they chatted for a short time before Joe got down to the business at hand. "Mac, I would really like to see you soon, could we meet for dinner tonight?"

"Your message said it was important Uncle Joe, what is it?"

"I don't want to say over the phone, if you're busy tonight could we make it tomorrow?"

"I'm never to busy to see my second favorite Uncle! Tonight is fine, where would you like to go?" she asked.

"Somewhere quiet so we can talk. How about the Willard? They have some private tables," Joe suggested.

"That sounds fine, what time should I meet you?"

"Let me pick you up. How does 1930 sound?"

"Fine, I'll see you then," Mac replied curiosity eating away at her. She never liked unsolved mysteries, and often couldn't resist reading the end of a mystery novel first. This was going to drive her crazy 'til Uncle Joe got there.

To be continued…..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Mac decided to take a long hot bath before dressing for dinner. She really was in a lousy mood and it wouldn't be fair to take it out on Uncle Joe. A long soak always made her feel better and if she used her favorite lilac bath oil she felt like a pampered princess.

As she laid in the bath, she thought back on the week before. The JAG family had become very fond of Admiral Chegwidden's fiancée and her son. The Roberts boys had been thrilled to get a new playmate. Last week Luna's ex-husband and his wife had finally come to trial. Bud had prosecuted and because of the close friendships between the rest of the staff and Admiral Chegwidden, General Creswell had assigned the new guy to defend them. Vukovic had started after the Admiral left so there was no conflict of interest.

With Luna's clear firm testimony the trial for Captain Frank Huggins had gone rather quickly. AJ had been in the gallery every day to lend her what support he could. But under his unswerving love and unexpected friendship of AJ's old staff, Luna had blossomed. She had confidence now that she hadn't felt since before her marriage and it showed in her daily life as she ventured out more and more.

Frank had been charged with false swearing in his statement to the court during the divorce proceedings; conduct unbecoming, and custodial interference. During the trial stunning facts had come to light. His aid, the then Ensign Ruby Carpenter, had been having an affair for almost two years before Shawn's birth. They had discovered that Ruby couldn't have children so the two of them had come up with a plan. Frank would get Luna pregnant and then as soon as the child was born he would file for divorce citing her as an unfit mother.

The explosion at the lab had been a fortuitous bonus. Luna's coma had allowed them to easily put their plan into action. They had even been prepared with bribed witnesses to swear to Luna's unstable state when or if she came out of the coma and refuted his testimony. They had been thrilled beyond belief that she hadn't done that when she came around. Not only were they in the clear, but they didn't have to pay the witnesses they'd lined up.

Bud had come upon the information while interviewing people who had known Luna and Frank as a couple. It was one of the disgruntled witnesses that had spilled the whole story. He had gladly testified, gaining immunity from any charges about his involvement. Lieutenant Aguilar had also been called in and testified that she had found no evidence that Frank had been involved in Shawn's abuse.

Ruby had been charged in a separate trial with, aiding and abetting in a felony, false swearing, conduct unbecoming, and with Shawn's closed-door testimony, child abuse. He had been video taped in Judge Amy Helfman's chambers. Both lawyers had been present as well as Lieutenant Aguilar. Shawn had bravely answered all questions put to him and told a damning story of his treatment at Ruby's hand. It seemed her hatred of Shawn stemmed from his not being her 'real boy'.

The video had been played for the jury and gallery after Lieutenant Aguilar had taken Shawn to her office. This was the first time Luna had heard the full story and had wept openly in AJ's arms. AJ had sat there in a grim tight-lipped silence. Those closest to him knew that if he could have gotten his hands on Ruby, woman or not, she would have paid dearly for treating Shawn the way she had.

Both trials had concluded on Thursday and the jury in both cases hadn't taken long to come back with guilty verdicts on all charges. Frank had been given fourteen years in Leavenworth and a dishonorable discharge. Ruby had also been given a dishonorable discharge, but had thrown a screaming fit when her sentence was read and she discovered she had gotten two more years than Frank had. She had to be dragged from the courtroom.

To be continued…..


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

As Mac got out of the tub and dried off, she thought how glad she was that the trial was over and out of the way. Luna and Shawn had been through so much, but now they could concentrate on good times to come. The wedding was only two days away and as Mac chose what she would wear to dinner with her Uncle Joe she ran her hand over the lovely dress that she would wear as Luna's attendant. She had been so honored when Luna had asked her. Mac couldn't remember ever seeing the Admiral as happy as he had been since his retirement. However, she and Harriett had both been sure that he couldn't stay inactive for long and they were right. They had just learned that when Luna and he returned from their honeymoon, AJ would be taking up the position of Little League Coach for McLean.

Dressing quickly, Mac thought how everyone's lives were progressing and moving forward, everyone but hers it seemed. With a sigh she slid into strappy sandals that went well with her 'little black dress' and ran a brush through her hair. With a squirt of her favorite perfume she was ready to go just as the doorbell rang. Opening the door to her Uncle Joe she gave him a fierce hug. She had known and loved this man since she was a teen.

"Well, that was some welcome, sweetie pie!" Joe boomed as he hugged her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head. As tall as Mac was, Joseph Leland was over a foot taller than she. He was an imposing figure of a man. A full head of silver hair topped his square face. He was a bear of a man with twinkling blue eyes that made you want to trust him right away. Mac could tell that even though he spent most of his time behind a desk these days, and his sixtieth birthday was fast approaching, he still kept in shape.

Mac had often wondered why he had never married and one night on a camping trip had gotten up the courage to ask him that very question. Joe told her that with his job he simply couldn't put a wife through the anxiety of marriage to him. At the time, he had been an Agent guarding the first family. Now that he was the director of the agents she wondered if that might change.

"So what was so important that we had to meet so quickly Uncle Joe?" Mac asked and he took her arm and guided her out of the apartment.

"You can wait till we are seated at the restaurant to find that out young lady. Why don't you tell me how your career is going these days, we have some time to catch up on."

So Mac spent the drive telling him how, although she still loved the Marines and being a lawyer, she just couldn't seem to find the right rhythm with General Creswell. "He thinks that I got soft working under a Navy man all those years. He's harder on me because I'm a Marine than he is on the others in the office and I don't really mind that, but it just seems no matter how hard I work I can't please him."

"Well, to be honest I'm both sorry and glad to hear that," Joe replied.

"What do you mean?"

They had arrived at the restaurant and were seated; Joe indicated that he wanted to finish ordering dinner before answering that question. When the waiter had left them alone, he leaned across the table and said, "I'm sorry that you're not completely happy where you are now, my dear, but the reason I'm glad as well, is that your dissatisfaction with the General might work to my benefit."

"How so?" Mac demanded.

"How would you like to come and work for me?"

"What?" she gasped.

"Our President is a former Marine and who better to guard him than another?"

"Let me get this straight…you're asking me to become a Secret Service Agent and my first assignment will be to guard the President of the United States?!"

To be continued…..


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"You always were a quick study Mac…" her Uncle Joe laughed.

"Good heavens Uncle Joe! When you deliver a surprise you sure don't pull any punches!"

"So, what do you think? I would need you pretty quickly…like Monday in fact."

"What?" Mac gasped.

"The main agent that is guarding Him is leaving and I need his replacement to start Monday. I just can't think of anyone better for the job than you."

"But what about the team of agents you have working for you? How will they feel if you bring in someone from the outside for a job like that? It has to be the most prestigious post of all and you're giving it to me?"

"That sure sounds like you're considering my offer Kiddo!" he exclaimed with a grin.

"How could I not? I mean if you just asked be to come be an agent, I would tell you 'no way' but to come over as a guard to 'Him'…lord Uncle Joe, how could I not consider it?"

"You are perfect for the job and I won't try and tell you that a few noses will be out of joint over this, but I want the best in that position and I think you're it."

Suddenly giving her uncle a suspicious glance, she demanded, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that He is good looking, young, and single, would it?"

"He is? I hadn't noticed. Why would you think that has anything to do with me wanting you to guard him?"

"Could it be that you have been trying to fix me up since I was old enough to date?" she taunted.

"I just want to see you happy, Mac!" he uncle protested with feigned hurt.

"And a widower with three children will make me happy?"

"Hey you never know! But even if nothing comes of that, I still want you for this job, what do you say?" Joe asked earnestly.

"And I'm guessing that with this short of a time table you can't give me any time at all to think about it?"

"Well, I suppose I could let you sleep on it, but not much more than that. What is stopping you from taking the job Mac? You get a great health plan, can lose the Marine greens for a nice black suit and you get to wear sunglasses to work!"

"Great health plan because I could be expected to stop a bullet at any time, and who says I don't like green? As for sunglasses, that's only for outside," she laughed. "Is that all you can offer, Uncle Joe?"

"How about a chance to serve your country in a very unique way, as well as a chance to get away from a General that you're not getting along with?"

"Now that's more like it!" she teased. "I will think about it, Uncle Joe, but you have to understand that giving up the Marines isn't an easy choice for me."

"I know, Mac, but this is a way to serve also. You would just be doing it in a suit and tie rather than in uniform."

"I promise to give you my answer tomorrow," she told him, and talk turned to catching up on each other's lives for the rest of the meal.

When Joe dropped Mac off that evening at her apartment he told her, "Mac, I really think that you're the best person for this job and I hope that you'll seriously consider it."

"Uncle Joe, I promise you, I won't be thinking about anything else. I'll call you with my answer tomorrow."

The rest of the evening Mac spent making a mental Pro and Con list, by the time she fell into a restless sleep that night she had made no clear decision because both sides of the list were nearly evenly balanced.

She arrived at work the next morning and began her day as usual. Before long the rest of the staff started to arrive. She had seen Creswell cross the bullpen and go into his office. Twelve minutes later her phone rang. It was PO Coates telling her the General wanted to see her.

Wondering what she had done wrong this time, she was surprised to find Harm headed in the same direction. "You were summoned too?"

"Yeah," Harm replied. "Any idea what it's about?"

"Not a clue," she sighed. "Until I saw you, I figured I had committed another 'Marine not living up to expectation' infraction."

"Well unless he suddenly thinks I'm a Marine, that's not it this time," he said as they reached Creswell's door and were commanded to enter.

They went in and stood at attention in front of his desk, the General looked up and handed them each a file saying, "Congratulations to you both on your transfers."

To be continued…..


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Commander Rabb, you'll be going to our London office, and Colonel Mackenzie, you're off to San Diego."

"Sir! Thank you Sir! When do I report?"

Creswell replied, "Commander you have two weeks to get your caseload cleared up or reassigned. You are to report to Admiral Rockwell on July 13th."

"Thank you Sir," Harm said excitedly.

"If there's nothing else, you're both dismissed."

"Sir, permission to speak to you in private?" Mac requested.

"All right. Commander, close the hatch on the way out."

When they were alone, Mac requested, "Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"Go ahead, Colonel, what's on your mind?"

"Sir, I have no desire to leave this area at this time."

"Well Colonel, we don't always get what we desire. In the military, very often we just have to go where we're told."

"Then Sir, you'll have my resignation on your desk within the hour."

"Colonel, have you lost your mind? To give up your career because you don't want to accept a transfer?"

"Sir, last night I was offered a new career opportunity, and I was up in the air about taking it, but you have just made the decision for me."

"What kind of career opportunity, Colonel?"

Mac grinned, having always wanted to use Clayton Webb's infamous line, she couldn't have been give a better chance to do so, "Respectfully Sir, that's need to know, and you don't!" She spun on her heel and headed for the door.

"Colonel! You have not been dismissed!"

"As soon as I can put a date on my resignation papers, that won't matter any more!"

Walking back to her office she opened the top drawer of her desk. She pulled out her resignation form that she had thought about turning in several times over the years, but never had, now all she had to do was sign and date it. Doing so, she put it in a file folder and delivered it to Jen Coates, telling her, "See that the General gets this." Once back in her office she placed a call to her Uncle Joe telling him she would take his job offer.

"Wonderful! You will need to go through some special training this weekend so you can start on Monday," he told her.

"Uncle Joe, I'm the maid of honor in Admiral Chegwidden's wedding Saturday morning! The training will have to be worked around that."

"Ack! Okay, to have you, we'll find a way. How did your General react when you told him you were leaving?"

Mac giggled and said, "Not at all well. The look on his face was priceless!"

"So when can I expect you here for some training?" he interrupted her enjoyment of the memory.

"Tonight is rehearsal and the traditional dinner afterward, I could come by after that if you like. Then I would need to be free from 0930 to 1300 for the wedding and reception. The rest of the weekend is yours Uncle Joe."

"Alright I'll set things up, what time will you be here tonight?"

"Hopefully by 2100," she responded, and after a few more personal comments, Mac was able to end the call and get back to work.

That evening she was trained on the equipment that the Agents used as well as periodical and procedures. Her Uncle was pleased at how quickly she caught on to everything. The only real problem Mac had that evening was remembering not to call Joe Leland, 'Uncle Joe' in front of the other agents.

She did however learn that there was going to be one roadblock to pleasant working conditions with the Secret Service. That would be Agent Paul Gordon. Paul had believed he would be the next 'Lead Agent' if ever the job opened up. He was not a happy camper about not getting the job and even more upset that it went to an 'outsider'. Yes, Mac knew he would be a problem. This was something she would handle herself, though; she wouldn't go running to Uncle Joe about it.

To be continued…..


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Saturday, July 8, 2003

1230 EST

The White House dining room

Washington DC

Joe Leland stared into the incredulous face of his Commander in Chief. He had just told Kenneth Marshall Kennex that Sarah (Mac) Mackenzie was going to be the lead agent in charge of his safety.

"You want a woman to guard me?"

"This isn't just any woman! Mr. President, Mac is a decorated Marine Colonel, or was until yesterday. Believe me I wouldn't have selected her if she wasn't more than capable of doing the job."

"That's not what I meant. I'm sure that she knows what she's doing or you wouldn't have hired her. But I'm not sure I'm comfortable with a woman acting as a human shield to me. Why not assign her to one of the children and transfer a male agent to my detail?"

"Is it a chivalrous reason you don't want a woman in this job or is it that you fear public opinion that a female is guarding you?" Joe asked.

"Joe! You know that I'm a strong proponent of equal rights!"

"Yes I do, and that's exactly why I think Mac is perfect for this job! Come to the driving range today and meet her. I'm sure that you'll be impressed. Just treat her as a fellow Marine."

"A Marine to guard a former Marine?"

"Exactly, but technically she's a former Marine as well. Her last day at JAG was yesterday."

"JAG!? Your former Marine was a lawyer?!" the President exclaimed.

"Yes, but she's seen action as a lawyer that would cower some of the staunchest souls. Let me assure you she's a kick-ass Marine! Come and meet her, see what she can do."

"Alright, but I don't have a lot of time, I've got a meeting at 2:30."

"That should be plenty of time. She's due on the course at 1:30."

Saturday, July 8, 2003

1330 EST

AJ and Luna's wedding

The wedding went without a hitch. Mac couldn't remember a time when she could remember the Admiral looking happier. He just couldn't stop smiling. She was sure a big part of it was the fact that he loved his new bride deeply and they were starting a wonderful life together. But Mac was pretty sure that it also had much to do with the three foot shadow he had at his side the whole day. The shadow kept calling Admiral AJ Chegwidden 'Daddy' bringing an even bigger grin to AJ's face.

It actually hurt a bit to watch the interaction between AJ and his new son. Everywhere she turned, there seemed to be happy families with their children. The Roberts' with their two and twins on the way, AJ and Luna with Shawn, and Harm and Mattie, even though Mattie was a young lady now and hardly a child any longer, it still reminded Mac of the fact that her chances of ever having a child of her own was almost non-existent. So she tried to avoid the 'happy families' unfortunately with very little luck. Because by then everyone had heard she was leaving JAG and wanted to talk to her about why she was going and what she was going to do.

Since Joe had asked her to keep the new job confidential until the official announcement was made on Monday, she had to refuse to tell them. She tried to explain that she would tell them if she could, but it was out of her hands. Mac said they would all know on Monday.

Because she was one of the wedding party, Mac was required to be in most of the formal pictures that were being taken as well as to take part in many of the reception activities. She had thought she'd be able to slip away after the cutting of the cake, but no such luck. She was required to perform certain duties; she couldn't even explain why she was in such a hurry to leave. Even knowing she was going to be late for her driving training, Mac was at least glad she was prepared with a bag containing a change of clothes.

To be continued…..


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Joe and Ken arrived at the practice driving range just before 1:30. Joe expected that Mac would already be there, he knew of the strange time sense thing that she had, and it always amazed him. But because of that, she was never late, or he had never known her to be in the past.

At 1344 EST a cherry red corvette pulled up in front of the group assembled. The door of the car opened and a shapely leg adorned in a high-heeled shoe of at least five inches emerged, this was followed by a vision in a lace and ribbon covered dress in a patter of summer flowers. A wreath of flowers still encircled her head and her chestnut brown hair fell to her shoulders in curls.

"Ah, Mac at last," Joe said.

"That is your kick-ass Marine?!" Ken demanded, not able to take his eyes off the lovely woman coming towards them. The only thing that spoiled this ultra-feminine vision was the olive green gear bag in her hand.

"Hello Mr. Leland," Mac greeted her Uncle as she reached the two men. "I'm sorry I'm running later than planned. They made me stay through the bouquet toss."

"Did you catch it?" Joe asked her.

"Not on purpose. It came flying right at me and rather than letting it hit the floor, I caught it."

"Well, you know what that means, don't you?" her Uncle inquired with great glee.

Not wanting to get into THAT discussion with President Kennex standing there, she asked, "Are you going to introduce us Mr. Leland?"

Seeing her ploy for what it was, Joe nonetheless let her get away with it this time. "Kenneth, this is your newest agent, Mac Mackenzie. Mac, this is President Kennex."

The two reached out to shake hands. Ken said, "I don't think I can call someone dressed like this 'Mac'. Your given name is Sarah isn't it?"

"Yes Sir, it is, but if you can point out a place for me to change, I will get out of this wedding finery."

"I only have a short time, if I'm to see you drive, you won't have time to change."

"If there's someplace close I would only need four minutes," Mac informed him.

Joe spoke up then, not wanting a conflict to develop between them, "I'm afraid the only place is the test car, but the windows are completely obscured."

Mac looked at the President to see if he was willing to give her the time to change and saw that he was shaking his head. "Is there a problem Mr. President?"

"Yes, Ms. Mackenzie, you seem to forget that I was a married man. No woman can change clothes in four minutes, under normal circumstances, let alone in the backseat of a car!"

"Maybe you would allow me an extra minute or two then?" she questioned.

"I'll tell you what, I'll give you ten minutes, if you're not ready by then I'll leave and Joe can find me another agent!"

"Now that's hardly a fair test of her abilities to guard you!" Joe protested.

"On the contrary," Ken stated. "If I'm to entrust her with my life I have to be able to have complete faith in her. How can I do that if she starts out telling me lies?"

"You will retract that statement when I'm out here in less than ten minutes!" Mac informed him rather than asked him.

"Gladly," he replied and looked down at his watch. "Whenever you're ready to begin, Ms. Mackenzie!"

Mac climbed into the car and pulled the door closed behind her. She quickly slipped off her dress, shoes, and hose, and just as quickly pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. The flowers came off of her head and she slid her feet into tennis shoes. As she climbed out of the car four minutes and fifty-two seconds later she was pulling her hair into a ponytail. "You can dock me a few seconds for putting my hair up, if you like, since I did it out here," she told the astonished onlookers.

Stepping up in front of the President, she said, "And you can call me Agent Mackenzie instead of Ms.!"

To be continued…..


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mac's, Uncle Joe tried to stifle his snort of laughter, without much success, as he observed the look on Ken's face.

'Maybe I will have to revise my opinion of this woman,' Ken thought as he looked at the complete change that had taken place in Mac's appearance. Now she almost looked like she could be the kick-ass Marine that Joe had claimed her to be. "Well, Agent Mackenzie, let's see how well you drive," Kenneth told her.

With a nod, Mac turned away from him to confer with the driving instructor who told her what he wanted her to do. Getting behind the wheel of the limo, Mac performed the maneuvers she'd been instructed to do with ease. Pulling to a stop at the group of men she received further directions. This time, instead of just steering clear of obstacles, she would be trying to avoid another car attempting to run her off the road to kidnap her passenger.

Swerving to avoid the pursuit car, Mac managed to keep away from him for several minutes. The driver of the other car however was good and continued to pursue her vehicle, as she swung around and went past the group watching. Mac could tell that this had become a more intense test than had originally been intended. Mac knew why, when on the next attempt to ram her, she saw who the other driver was. Paul Gordon was the man behind the wheel, the man who believed he should have gotten her job.

Knowing he wouldn't give up until he had proven whatever he felt he needed to, Mac waited for an opportune opening and a couple of maneuvers later she got her chance. Paul was bearing down on her intending to 'hit' her car head on. Mac watched him approach and just instants before he would have 'hit' her she drew a fake gun, pointed her finger right between Paul's startled eyes and pulled the fake trigger.

Even Paul had to admit that would have stopped the kidnapping attempt. Getting out of the car at the group of observers, she was praised and patted on the back for her good showing. Kenneth and Uncle Joe were the only two that hadn't approached her. They stood off to the side talking quietly. Mac saw the President nod, look at his watch, and then leave with his agents closely following him. When Uncle Joe turned to look at her and give her two thumbs up, she knew that come Monday she would be one of that group.

Mac spent several more hours driving and learning close body guarding after which she had dinner with a few of the other agents. Then headed to the mall. If she was going to become 'a suit' on Monday she needed to buy a couple. In the end she purchased three. One was black and one dark blue, both with pants and a gray pinstripe one with a skirt. She had black pumps at home so just added a pair each of blue and gray to her purchases.

Sunday she was scheduled to spend at the shooting range. Jerry, the instructor, when told she was a lawyer, figured he had his work cut out for him. Instead Mac came in, hit every target pointed out to her and moved on to live action work much quicker than he expected. He explained that the next part of her training was to go into an unfamiliar place and sweep it for possible attackers. Mac nodded her understanding; she'd had this kind of training early in her Marine life.

Jerry was exceptionally pleased with her workout and by lunch was ready to set her free. He'd figured they would need the whole day to bring her up to speed, but was pleasantly surprised when that hadn't proved true. Joe received the report and smiled with pride. He'd known Mac would be up to the job, but it was always nice to be proven right.

That evening she was to receive the last of the briefings she would need before assuming her duties. She received her com-link, was also issued her Sig Sauer

P229, the standard gun used by agents, and last but not least was given the code names for the first family.

To be continued…..


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ken's daughter, Laurel, who was ten years old, was called Songbird. She loved to sing and wanted to pursue a career in music when she was grown. The identical twin boys Marcus and Mathew were six and into all things Star Wars. They had picked their own names; Marcus was Skywalker, which over the past year had been shortened to Walker and Mathew had chosen Chewbacca and was now called Chewy. Kenneth himself was code named Stallion.

Mac had snickered at that when her Uncle Joe told her and asked if a female agent had given him the name. Joe explained that they'd tried several names, but none of them had met with the President's approval until Joe himself had come up with Stallion. Ken had a prize horse that he'd raised from a colt and as long as he wasn't out of town he rode Warrior every weekend.

Joe and Mac had dinner that evening and afterwards he told her to go home and get a good nights sleep. He warned her that her day would start early the next morning.

"Don't worry about me, Uncle Joe, I'm used to early days," Mac told him and gave him a kiss on the cheek before they parted.

Mac arrived at the White House just as dawn was breaking and went through all the security checks. She was told that the President needed his wake up call and as his main bodyguard she was the one to deliver it.

Knocking on Kenneth's door she received a mumbled response, but heard movement a short time later followed by the sound of a shower running. Twenty minutes later the bedroom door opened and out stepped the President dressed and ready to face the day. The two of them walked down the hall together and they were met by his press secretary, Jillian Baker, who briefed him on his schedule for the day.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Kenneth sat down at the breakfast table. He opened the morning paper and began to read as he waited for the children to arrive. Mac had been told that the President always had breakfast with his children, unless some major crisis was going on or he was out of town without them. However, whenever possible the children traveled with him.

She hadn't met them yet, but Mac knew by the pounding of little feet they were running down the hall and about to come into the room. Two identical boys raced in, followed by two panting agents and their nanny. With a grim look on her face, Mac stepped between the boys and their goal.

Catching one in each arm, she demanded sternly, "Halt! Who goes there?!"

Both boys looked up at her, not sure what to make of this new Agent. Their father had put down his paper and turned to see what was happening, but hadn't said anything yet.

She put the boys back on their feet as one of them said, "I'm Marcus and that's Mathew."

Mac looked down at them and instructed, "Stand at attention!" Both boys did as well as they could as she continued, "Were you about to attack the President?"

"That's our dad!" Mathew spoke up.

The other agents were grinning now as Mac continued to walk around the boys in a circle. "And how can I be sure of that?" she questioned.

"We look like him," Marcus said in a quivering voice.

"But that could be a disguise! How do I know you weren't going to hurt him?"

By this time Kenneth was trying to hide a smile at what was going on. His daughter, however, was not amused! She and her agent had also entered the breakfast room. Laurel demanded, "Dad, are you going to let her treat the brats that way?!" Laurel was of the firm belief that as the big sister it was her job to torment the brats and didn't much like someone else trying to take that away from her.

"Well, it is Agent Mackenzie's job to protect me…" Kenneth replied as Laurel looked on in disbelief at not being backed up by her father.

To be continued…..


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"We wouldn't hurt our daddy!" Mathew insisted.

"How can I be sure that you are his son?" Mac asked.

When Mathew couldn't come up with an answer, one of the agents stepped forward and put a hand on the shoulder of one small interrogatee. "Agent Mackenzie I can vouch for this young man. Marcus Karl Kennex is the son of President Kennex."

"Alright then Marcus Karl Kennex you may pass," Mac said moving aside so Marc could run to his father.

Mathew threw a pleading glance at his agent, who then came forward with a grin to vouch for his young charge.

After Kenneth greeted the children, he introduced them to Mac who soon had them giggling over the joke she'd played on them. Laurel though didn't seem to find the humor in the situation. She looked on as her brothers fell under Mac's charming spell.

Their nanny made sure that the children had a balanced meal set before them and then she sat down to join the Kennex family as they began to eat. The four agents stood by while the family ate, all of them had eaten before coming on duty. After the meal, their nanny took the children off and Kenneth began his day of meetings and briefings. Mac remained at his side until Paul Gordon spelled her so she could have a lunch break. While in the White House only one agent was needed to guard each family member. It was only when leaving the house they had more.

Dinner was also a family affair for the Kennex' and another chance for Mac to interact with the children. That first night, the twins came racing into the room at their normal 'full run' speed, but they pulled up to a quick stop in front of Mac and came to attention. They'd obviously had some practice during the day because they did a much better job of it. Both saluted and in unison requested, "Permission to pass Agent Mackmenzee?"

They had such a hard time pronouncing her last name that Mac told them, "Yes, you may and you can call me Agent Mac if that's okay with your father."

Kenneth smiled and nodded his permission as the twins hurried forward to greet him. Over dinner all three of them gave accounts of their day as well as Nanny Jones updating their father on the schoolwork they were doing. She felt that just because they were on summer break they shouldn't stop learning. She wanted to make sure they boys had a jump start on second grade and the same for Laurel on sixth.

Mac smiled and spoke to Laurel, but was ignored by the little girl. She had no idea why Laurel had taken a dislike to her, but the child could give a cold shoulder that would put many adults to shame.

After trying for two days to make any headway with Laurel, Mac admitted she was having no luck at all and decided to call for help. Arriving home Wednesday evening, she placed a call to Harriett Roberts, Mac considered her the expert on all things maternal and child related matters. Even though Mac was old enough at thirty-seven to be a mother to these children, all she really wanted was help on how to reach Laurel so they could be friends.

"Harriett, hi it's Mac. I hope I'm not calling at a bad time?"

"Colonel! No, not at all, what can I do for you, or did you need to talk to Buddy?"

"No, I called to talk to you…and it's Mac. Not only are we out of the office, but I'm no longer a Colonel."

"Sorry Mac, old habits do die hard. We were so surprised that you left JAG! Buddy says it no longer feels like 'home' so much has changed."

"I guess so with four of us gone. I take it that Sturgis is Chief of Staff now?"

"No, he took your spot in San Diego and they brought in two new lawyers this week. General Creswell hasn't said who his new Chief of Staff is going to be yet. I think he wants to ask Buddy but he's only a Lieutenant Commander not a Commander. But what about you? You said at the wedding we would know on Monday what your new job was, but you didn't call!"

To be continued…..


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"I'm sorry about that Harriett, I had thought there was going to be some kind of announcement and honestly, I've been so tired when I get home in the evenings I've been eating and falling right into bed," Mac replied.

"Wow, it sounds like they are working you hard whoever you're working for these days."

"They sure have!"

With an exasperated sigh, Harriett asked, "Well, are you going to tell me or am I going to die of suspense?! And remember if you let me die, you won't just be killing one, you'll be killing three!"

Mac chuckled at Harriet's dramatics and told her, "Oh sorry, like I said, I'm not at my best in the evenings yet. My honorary Uncle, Joe Leland, offered me a job with the Secret Service. I'm guarding the President."

"WHAT?!" Harriett squealed excitedly. "Wow! That's awesome!" There was a pause and then in a changed tone, she asked, "Wait a minute! Does that mean you might get shot?"

"Not if I'm careful Harriett. As much as that kind of thing is publicized, it's still a very rare occurrence. Don't worry about me, okay?"

"Well…if you're sure…Wait till I tell Buddy! He will be so excited! Can he tell everyone at the office?"

With a laugh Mac said, "Sure Harriett, I just wish that I could have a picture of Creswell's face when he hears the news."

"Buddy has one of those camera phones…I got it for him for his birthday…" Harriett suggested in a conspiratorial voice.

"Oh Harriett I wouldn't want him to get in trouble!" Mac giggled.

"But it would be SO worth it! Come on!" Harriett encouraged.

"Well, if he thinks he could get it without getting caught, I would love to see it!" Mac admitted.

"I'm sure he can!" Harriett giggled too. They talked for a little longer 'til there was a crash in the background and Harriett had to go and find out who had done what. Mac promised to try her suggestion about Laurel and let her know how it worked before hanging up.

Thursday was an unusual day. Not that Mac could honestly say any day was 'usual' when you were talking about the President of the United States! But every day so far, there had hardly been time to get from one meeting to another, however, Thursday, Kenneth seemed to spend a lot of time waiting for others that were late or on phone calls that didn't happen when they should have. The side effect of that was he and Mac were often alone together with nothing to do but talk. It actually became amusing how they would be interrupted in the middle of a conversation and then when the two of them were waiting on something else to happen, they would pick up the conversation as if no time had passed at all.

During one of their talks Kenneth unexpectedly asked, "Sarah, do you ride?"

Since they had just been talking about his horse, she knew what he meant, "Well I know how, but I haven't done it in years. Why?"

"Did you enjoy it?" he asked, not answering her question.

"From what I remember, I'd have to say yes. I got to go to camp one summer as a kid and I remember the sense of freedom it gave me. Home wasn't a very pleasant place for me and I used to imagine that I could just get on that horse one day and keep on riding. As that summer drew to a close, I would spend as much time riding as they would let me. I hated leaving that camp."

"How old were you?"

"I was fifteen. That was the year my mother ran off and left us."

"I'm sorry Sarah," Kenneth said softly.

"It was a long time ago. Why did you want to know if I rode?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Well, my main agent works Monday thru Friday, as you know, with the weekends off, Paul Gordon is with me on Saturday and Sunday. That's the only time I ever have free to ride and Paul, can ride, but hates it. So I was wondering if you'd like to try riding again? Then if you do, you might consider switching days off with him. It isn't very enjoyable to have someone along that isn't happy about being there."

To be continued…..


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"I'm sure I wouldn't be up to your standard of riding," Mac hesitated to agree even though she liked the idea.

"I understand that and would be willing to slow down a bit until you improve, but it would be better to have someone along that wanted to be there rather than someone just doing the job assigned them."

"I'd be willing to give it a try, but let's not make it a permanent change until you see how pitifully inadequate I am."

"Somehow I can't picture you pitifully inadequate at anything Sarah!"

"That wasn't how you felt when we first met!" she accused with a teasing grin.

With a rueful chuckle, he admitted, "You have me there! But I did apologize for that if you remember."

"Yes you did, and it didn't even sound like you were choking on your words when you did."

"Thank you. So what would you say to taking tomorrow off and working Saturday instead? Then if things go well you could also work Sunday and take Monday off."

"Let's see how Saturday goes before we plan any more changes," she agreed.

"Good, I'll call Joe Leland now and let him know about the change."

Mac had tried Harriett's suggestion both at breakfast and again at dinner that day, however she couldn't get Laurel to talk about her interests at all. Slightly depressed by this small set back in her attempt to get to know the little girl better, the last thing Mac wanted as she was leaving for the day was a run in with Paul Gordon. Unfortunately Paul had other ideas on the matter.

Her Uncle Joe had gladly accepted the schedule change that Kenneth had requested and it was clear Paul had been notified. It was also clear he wasn't happy about it!

"So being Lead Agent wasn't enough for you, Ms. Mackenzie! You had to go and horn in on the weekend detail as well?!" Paul snapped when he approached her as she was walking to her car that evening.

"Kenneth said you hated riding and was just being considerate of you when he found out I used to ride."

"Oh KENNETH is it? Isn't that sweet!? So do you sneak back at night to warm his bed too?" he snarled.

"I won't dignify that with an answer, but if you don't get out of my way I'll make you sorry!"

"Oh really? And just what do you plan on doing Miss Lawyer Girl? Sue me to death?"

"No, I'll report you to Joe Leland for harassment," she answered calmly.

"Well, then let me give you something worth reporting!" he exclaimed as he lunged for her.

Quickly sidestepping his grab, Mac asked, "You do know this lot is monitored by security cameras, don't you?"

With an angry growl, because he had forgotten that, Paul threw a look in the direction of the camera and hurried off.

Mac got in her Vette with a sigh and headed home. Having no idea what an agent wore to go riding with the President, Mac called Uncle Joe when she got home hoping for some ideas. She didn't want to have to buy formal 'riding gear' if this turned out to be a one time thing.

When she told Joe why she was calling he reacted with surprise, "I thought you'd called about the parking lot incident with Agent Gordon. What was going on Mac?"

"Nothing I couldn't handle Uncle Joe," she answered.

"Mac I need to know what's going on! You're both Agents under my command. It doesn't look good when the security techs bring this kind of thing to my attention and I have no clue what happened."

"He thought I was trying to take something away from him by riding with Kenneth, but I explained that it was in consideration of him that the President asked me to ride."

"Was the explanation before or after he tried to grab you?"

"Before of course," she lied.

"Mac…?"

"I can handle myself Uncle Joe. Please don't do anything official about this. It's hard enough to come in as a new Agent and then to have gotten the lead spot over someone that has been on the detail for years."

"Has anyone else given you trouble over this?" he asked with concern.

To be continued…..


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"No, but I can tell I'm being watched and rightly so! I'm the new kid on the block, I didn't go through months of training, and I am guarding the President! It's like a secret club and just because I know the secret handshake doesn't mean they trust me enough to lower the rope to let me up the tree," Mac giggled.

Joe chuckled over the simile and agreed with her that it was how the Agents behaved. "Alright Mac, I'll let this one go, but I will be watching to make sure nothing further happens."

"Okay Uncle Joe," she sighed. No matter how much growing up she did, he would still see her as that kid with the skinned knees and ponytail. "Before I let you go, I did call to find out what to wear on Saturday."

"Ah, just like a woman!"

"Don't give me that! I just wanted to know if I needed to buy riding gear before we were sure if I could still stay on the horse!"

"The Stallion usually wears jeans and a polo shirt," her Uncle told her.

"Really? That must be a sight! What does the President wear?"

With a beleaguered sigh, Joe said, "You know what I meant!"

Laughing Mac admitted she did and ended the call. After throwing some leftovers in the microwave, Mac logged on to her computer to check her email. Unfortunately she had just taken a drink of ice tea when she opened a message from Bud Roberts. Her computer screen was sprayed from her burst of laughter. Bud's mail simply said, "This WAS priceless!" and included was a picture of General Creswell that he had taken when he'd made the announcement at the staff meeting of what Mac's new job was.

Picking up the phone she called Bud to thank him for the best laugh she'd had in a long time. She was still giggling as she made plans to drop in at JAG the next day and go to lunch with Bud.

Dressed casually, with the unaccustomed 'visitors' badge clipped to her shirt, Mac stepped off the elevator and entered the bullpen. Every thing looked the same, every thing but the people. Oh they were still in the familiar uniforms, but the faces were almost all new. She thought of all the dear and not so dear faces that had passed through the doors over the years. Lindsey, Singer, Manetti, Gunny, Brumby, Tiner, all of them gone quite a while and more recently Harriett and Admiral Chegwidden, then Harm and herself, and after them Sturgis too. Now she looked around and saw only Bud and Jen from the family and of course she recognized Vukovic.

Jennifer Coates hurried to greet her and asked excitedly about Mac's new job, but before she could answer, Vukovic came over and questioned, "Slumming AGENT Mackenzie?"

"Not until you got here Lieutenant!" she snapped.

Bud joined them and said he was ready to go if she was. Mac was grateful to get away from Vukovic. They stood waiting for the elevator when the doors opened and Creswell stepped out. He paused in front of them and said, "I heard about your new job Ms. Mackenzie."

With a smile she couldn't restrain as she remembered the picture Bud had taken, Mac replied, "Yes Sir, Bud told me he'd let everyone know."

"Do the Corps proud!" he ordered as he walked past them.

"I intend to Sir," she answered as she and Bud stepped into the elevator.

Lunch with Bud was a lot of fun as he updated her on all the news that he could think of, and Mac shared her story of how she'd handled the twins on that first day. Bud got a good laugh over that. He asked if Mac had made any headway with Laurel and she had to admit she hadn't.

The hour passed much too quickly and soon he had to return to work. Mac reluctantly headed back home to catch up on household chores she'd been putting off for the past week. Ordering a pizza so she wouldn't have to stop working to cook, Mac finally finished just before 2300 hours. Knowing that she would have to be up early, she decided to shower before bed so she could sleep those extra few minutes in the morning.

To be continued…..


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Mac decided the best way to deal with her hair was to put it up in a ponytail. That way it wouldn't matter if she left the top down on the Vette. Turning up the radio she sang along as she drove, happier than she could remember being in a long time.

Kenneth was waiting for her in the foyer when she arrived at the White House and they climbed into the waiting car to be taken to the stables after his night agent turned his care over to Mac.

"I've arranged for you to have the same mount Paul Gordon used, Sarah, he's a gentle ride and hopefully will suit you until we know your skill level," he told her once they were in the car.

"My skill level is twenty years old, a rocking horse might be above my level at this point!" she grumbled good-naturedly, hating to appear less then competent in any thing she did.

With a chuckle he replied, "Somehow I doubt that Sarah."

"Why are you still calling me Sarah instead of Mac? I'm not in a bridesmaid dress now."

"Because you're a beautiful woman and Mac is such a masculine name. Does it bother you?"

"Not really, it's just odd. I've been Mac so long…"

"Well Sarah is a beautiful name and suits you well. So unless you tell me otherwise, I'm going to call you Sarah."

He'd almost whispered her name the last time he said it and her eyes flew to his. The look in them and the memory of how it sounded on his lips caused a shiver to run down her spine. As the car pulled to a stop and the door opened for them to get out, Mac realized that she was attracted to him!

Both horses were saddled and ready for them. Warrior was a huge black Stallion and nudged Kenneth eagerly when they approached. Mac's mount was a chestnut gelding that she was told was named Kingston, he seemed indifferent to the fact that Mac was there. Kenneth was in his element as he spent time greeting his horse, but was considerate enough to ask Mac, "Do you need help mounting?"

"I never used to," she responded with a grim smile, grasping the saddle horn slid her foot in the stirrup, and was surprised at how easily she was able to swing her free leg up and over Kingston's back.

Kenneth mounted with ease and looked so natural on the horse that Mac asked, "How long have you been riding?"

He laughed and said, "Even though I was born and raised in Texas I didn't learn to ride before I could walk as you might suspect. My father was a CEO and we lived in a high-rise building. I was in boarding school at five and the summer I turned ten, my folks were going to be in Tokyo for several months. My best friend asked if I'd like to spend the summer at his families ranch rather that at school with the other kids whose parents were to busy for them. I learned a lot of things that summer, not just to ride, but what a real family is like Chris' parents really cared about him and each other as well as their other three children. From then on, I made sure I spent my summers around horses. My father didn't like it, it didn't fit his plan for me, but for once my mother stood up to him, and he conceded to it as long as he didn't have to foot the bill. I think he somehow believed that would deter me, but it didn't. I sold myself as slave labor to Chris' parents so I could spend my summers there. They got free labor which they didn't really need and I got a second family, as well as all the riding I could handle."

"How did the Marines come about?" Mac asked as they rode.

"Chris was planning on joining up as soon as we graduated and I decided that it was the right thing to do as well. At first, my father was against it. He was grooming me for a political career, but once I convinced him how a military stint would look on my resume, he came around to agreeing that a nice safe desk job would be fine."

"I thought you saw combat!?" she protested, it had been one of the reasons she'd voted for him!

To be continued…..


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"I did. Dad tried to buy me a desk job, but both Chris and I requested a combat unit. By the time Dad found out it was too late, I was headed to the Gulf," Kenneth said.

"It sounds like you and Chris were really close. Did you stay in contact with him?" questioned Mac.

"We were close, right to the end. Chris died over there," he told her sadly.

"I'm sorry."

"I have managed to stay in contact with his family as much as I could. His parents are both gone and his younger brother was killed in Iraq, but his sisters are both still alive. Sheryl is in the Navy and stationed in Florida, while Marcy is married with two children and teaching fourth grade in Houston."

"I'm sure they're glad that you keep in touch."

"Marcy seems to like it, she tells me she's read her letters from her friend, the President, to her students, she's even gotten some of them to write to me. But Sheryl says she gets razzed every time she gets an 'official' looking letter, so I've taken to having the children's nanny post my letters to her."

Mac giggled at the thought of this secret letter writing and volunteered, "If you ever need someone else to help with that I'd be glad to."

"Thank you Sarah, I'll keep that in mind. Now how are you doing? Do we need to turn back so you aren't too sore?"

"I'm fine at the moment, but I can't promise that I won't be stiff tomorrow."

They had been riding for about thirty minutes and had come to a clearing. With a careful look around, Kenneth asked, "Would you mind if I did a fast run around this area? Warrior would really like to stretch his legs and I promise to remain in your sight the whole time."

"I'm sure I should say 'no' or at least stay at your side the whole time, but there really isn't much I could do from a horse to keep you from getting shot if someone was that determined…"

He gave a shout of laughter and said, "Gee thanks!"

"No problem!" she teased then instructed, "Go ahead, but do stay in sight."

"I will!" he agreed cheerfully and was off. True to his work he did stay in sight, but he and Warrior were enjoying the run so much that he didn't make one circuit of the clearing, but three.

Mac smiled as both horse and rider approached her breathing hard from their run. "Have a good time?" she inquired.

"Yes thank you. Ready to head back now?"

"If you are," she answered happily.

"The children should be arriving soon for their riding lesson and then, weather permitting, we all have a picnic."

"That sounds like fun. You really enjoy spending time with the children."

"Yes. I just wish it could be more. There are a lot of days when priorities keep me from seeing them at all."

"I'm sure they understand."

"I think they know why it has to be that way, but since their mother's death I'm all they have, so I worry that they might feel abandoned."

Mac stopped Kingston and waited for Kenneth to look at her. "That's ridiculous! Your children are very well adjusted and happy. They clearly know you love them and a blind man could see they adore you!"

"Thank you again Sarah. I guess in my heart I know that's true, but it's good to hear it once in a while."

They arrived back just as the car delivering the children pulled up. The boys tumbled out and hurried to greet Mac. They had found a new friend in her and she enjoyed teasing them.

Laurel hugged her father and went over to her horse that the trainer was bringing out, completely ignoring Mac and her brothers. She had named her horse Princess and the beautiful golden Palomino certainly fit her name. On the other hand, the boys horses were as black as their father's, with the exception that Marc's had a white blaze on it's forehead and Matt's had two white stockings.

Matt had named his horse Darth, after the black wearing Lord Vader. Marc's mount was Yoda and he'd been very disappointed at the continued denials to dye the horse green.

To be continued…..


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Their lesson lasted an hour while Kenneth and Mac looked on and cheered every time any of them accomplished a goal the trainer set out for them. When the lesson ended they walked over to the picnic tables where lunch had been set out.

As the Kennex family sat down, Mac was surprised when Kenneth patted the bench next to him and invited her to join them. The children's agents were at the next table and already digging into the food before them. At Mac's questioning look, because the agents didn't eat with the family, Kenneth explained, "This is a safe area and there's no need for high alert. Join us, Paul always did," he invited again.

"She can sit with the other agents Daddy! You don't need her to protect you here!" Laurel insisted.

"No, I don't Laurel, I invited Sarah to sit with us because I enjoy her company and like talking to her," Kenneth answered her daughter.

"Yeah and WE like her!" Marc informed his sister with a sly grin. The twins didn't have any more of an idea why Laurel didn't like Agent Mac than she did, but they did know that Mac sitting with them wasn't what Laurel wanted so it made it all the more important that she did.

Mac looked at the three expectant male faces and the one hostile female one, and joined them. She did it for two reasons. It wasn't to irritate Laurel, although that was the immediate effect, she did it in the hope of getting to know the little girl better and hopefully get on good terms with her. The other reason was the look in Kenneth's eyes. It was the same look that he'd given her earlier, the one that made her realize she was attracted to him.

As they ate, everyone but Laurel chatted away. The upset little girl would only answer direct questions put to her by her father. She ignored Mac unless instructed to answer her questions. Laurel might have fought with her brothers if they'd been so inclined, but the two of them were busy asking Mac what it was like to be a Marine. They told her that their father had been one, but that it had been a LONG time ago! They wanted more recent info.

Kenneth tried to explain to the boys that Agent Mac had been a lawyer and had spent all of her time in an office or courtroom.

Mac cheerfully disabused him of that fact, "Since I joined JAG, I rescued the Declaration of Independence when it was stolen, was held hostage at gunpoint in the office, dealt with terrorists in Ireland, was in a plane crash and got shot at by poachers. I helped to rescue a kidnapped boy that had witnessed a murder, bailed all the male staff out of jail, went to Russia to help my partner find his MIA father and ended up posing as a gypsy. Then, I was taken hostage and held at gunpoint at the Sudanese Embassy. I also helped my Commanding Officer deliver a baby in his office, helped rescue both my little sister and partner when they were missing, and posed as a witch to uncover evidence of misconduct. On a second trip to Russia, I helped foil an assassination plot against President Putin, and while briefly assigned to Aceh, Indonesia; I got our people out of the Embassy there while under heavy fire. Then to top it all off, I went to Paraguay posing as the pregnant wife of a diamond expert where we were captured and he was tortured protecting me. We were rescued, and during the escape in a small plane, we searched for a shipment of missiles. When we located them, we tried to blow them up while the bad guys were shooting missiles at us! Later, the terrorist came to the States after me and I had to take him out to save a nightclub full of people from being blown up."

When she stopped speaking, Mac took secret delight in the dazed look on Kenneth's face as well as the eager ones on the boys', she also noticed that Laurel was looking slightly impressed, even if it was against her will.

"I guess being a lawyer is more dangerous than I thought. Maybe I should insist all the Agents be trained as lawyers first?" Kenneth said when he could finally speak. There was much more to this woman than he had first thought! He was going to have to speak to Joe Leland about her and see what else he could find out!

To be continued…..


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Mac grinned and replied, "No, just train them as Marines!"

Shaking his head and smiling, he went back to eating.

If possible, after that moment of admiration on Saturday, Laurel treated Mac even worse than before. As if that wasn't enough, she let Mac know of her intense dislike of her father's new agent by trying to turn the twins against her.

Tuesday, July 18, 2003

0900 EST

The White House

Washington DC

When the boys came running in for breakfast, they stopped as usual for permission to pass. However that morning they had a question for Mac. "Is it true that you kill people?" Matt wanted to know.

Caught a bit off guard by a question like that from one so young, Mac had only to look at Laurel to see her sly grin and know who had put them up to it. Knowing that Kenneth was behind her and listening to every word, she took care in her answer. Bending down to their level she looked them in the eyes and said, "No soldier likes to kill, but we are all trained to do so. That way we can protect others against our enemies." Mac waited to see how they would react to the fact that she hadn't really answered their question.

Marc was the one that caught her on it, "But have YOU killed people?"

All of the faces of the people she had killed flashed quickly before her eyes, the most recent being Sadik, who she didn't have to kill at all, but had done so for the pure evil that the man represented. But those thoughts didn't help in this situation. "Yes, Marc, I have. I'm not proud of it, but sometimes a soldier has to kill to protect others."

"Have you killed lots of little boys?" Matt asked, fear filling his eyes as he stood before her.

Mac's heart sank, that for even a moment, this wonderful child could be afraid of her. She barely heard Kenneth's gasp of disbelief from behind her as she held out both of her hands palms up in a gesture of openness and said, "No, I've never killed a child and would give my own life before that would ever happen. I love children and even though I'm assigned to protect your father, you can be sure that I would die before I let anyone hurt you or your brother and sister!"

Marc threw an angry glance at his sister and confirmed Mac's suspicions as to where these questions had come from, when he demanded, "See Laurel, I told you, you were wrong about Agent Mac!"

Kenneth stood up and pulled his daughter to her feet as well, "Come with me young lady!" he snapped as started to lead her from the room.

Mac and Laurel's agent began to follow the two from the room, as was protocol. Kenneth looked at Mac and said, "You stay here."

About to protest, she realized that if Kenneth was going to scold Laurel for lying about her, that it probably wouldn't be a good thing if she were present. Looking over at the boys' agents, she said, "Duffy, go with them. I'll keep an eye on Marc."

With a nod, Duffy stood up straighter, squared his shoulders, and followed the President from the room.

Their nanny was trying to get the boys to start eating breakfast, but they had other things on their minds. "Laurel's in trouble huh?" asked Matt.

Not wanting to encourage this line of questioning, Mac asked them, "Are you ready for the trip tomorrow?"

"Yeah, we like riding in The Force!" Marc responded around the piece of toast he had just shoved into his mouth.

Grinning at their name for Air Force One, Mac had to admit that she was looking forward to her first trip in the world's most famous airplane too. She was of course, familiar in theory, with the plane and its security features. The mandatory reading list had included a booklet on it. Making a mental note to go over it again tonight. She checked her internal clock to find that Kenneth and his daughter had only been gone eight minutes. It seemed much longer and she wondered what was being said.

To be continued…..


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

In the other room, Kenneth began by demanding, "Laurel, how could you tell your brothers that Agent Mac killed little boys?"

"Didn't you hear all the things she said she did on Saturday? I bet she killed lots of people doing all those things! And how do we know that some of them weren't little boys? She even said she was a gypsy and a witch and everyone knows that both of them steal babies!"

"Laurel Marie Kennex! That is quite enough young lady! Agent Mac is a very nice person and she wouldn't hurt any child, especially you or the twins!"

"I knew it!" Laurel screeched and pointed an accusing finger at her father. "You like her!"

"Of course I like her! Why is that a problem?" he asked, baffled at her reaction.

"I heard Nanny and Agent Jackson talking and she told him that you were still a young ellielable man and you should get married again! I don't want you to get married again!"

Stunned at this tirade, he knew he would need to address the issue of Nanny and the agents gossiping about him, but right now he needed to deal with his daughter. "Laurel, I might get married again someday, but only when I find someone that I can love as much as I loved your mother. However, I'm pretty busy running the country right now and I really don't have time to be dating or falling in love. But none of that gives you the right to treat Agent Mac like you've been doing or to lie about her to the boys. You will apologize to her and you will also tell your brothers that you were lying about her."

"Yes Sir," his daughter reluctantly agreed.

"And I don't want to see anymore of this kind of behavior from you, do you understand?"

This one was much easier to agree to. "Yes Daddy," Laurel answered. Now all she had to do was to keep her father from 'seeing' her be rude to Agent Mac!

They returned to the breakfast room and Laurel approached Mac. She uttered an apology that Mac could tell she'd been forced into making and then went to the table where she told her brothers she'd been fibbing about Agent Mac having killed little boys.

Because of the back-to-back meetings that day, Kenneth didn't have time to sit down and eat his breakfast. Grabbing a large red apple from the bowl on the table, he motioned for Mac to follow him. They were walking down the hall to his first meeting of the day when he stopped and motioned Mac forward. She'd been walking behind him and his press secretary as the two of them went over his schedule. When they finished Mason hurried ahead and Kenneth took that moment to talk to Mac. "I want you to know that Laurel and I had a serious talk and her behavior is going to improve, but I also want you to know that I'm sorry for how she was behaving. I should have seen it sooner and put a stop to it."

"There's nothing for you to apologize about Sir. I just wish I knew what I'd done to upset her," Mac offered.

With a rueful smile he admitted, "She knows I like you, but she doesn't think she's ready for a step-mom yet."

Mac uttered a soft stunned, "Oh," as Mason called urgently from the conference room and Kenneth hurried off. She had over two hours to contemplate the meaning of what Kenneth had told her. She knew he liked her, but had no idea that it went to the extent that he was already thinking of her as a stepmother to his children! The two of them needed to have a talk as soon as possible! While they were two mature adults, both of them free to pursue a relationship, there were still major obstacles for these two particular mature adults.

The first one being that Kenneth was the President of the United States and his every move was open to public scrutiny. Who he dated would become national, if not international, news. That brought them to her! Every seedy sordid detail of her life would be picked over and splashed on the headlines. Mac remembered the uproar when Prince Charles started dating Lady Diana. Could she or would she want to live under that kind of microscope?

To be continued…..


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

As her thoughts continued to whirl about, Mac came to the conclusion that it would all depend on how much she loved him. That would be the only real determining factor in question. She knew that she liked the children, even Laurel, no matter how rude the child had been to her. She respected the fact that Laurel had the courage of her convictions and an independent personality. Letting someone know you disliked them took guts, especially when it went against the flow of those around her.

The thing that really had Mac wondering, was how could Kenneth be already thinking of marriage when she had only just acknowledged that she was attracted to him? To top that off, his ten-year-old daughter had also been able to see how her father felt about Mac, if she was protesting about having Mac as a stepmother.

Mac had always considered herself a keen observer and she was now in a job where the leader of the free world's life depended on her powers of observation. How then could a ten-year-old child see something she had missed? Granted, Laurel had known Kenneth longer than Mac had, but good heavens, she was only ten! What did a ten-year-old know about love and how to recognize it in her father?

Unless he'd already said something to the children about wanting to marry her! But if that were the case, surely the boys would have let something slip. Those two couldn't keep a secret if their lives depended on it. In that respect, they reminded her of Admiral Chegwidden's old yeoman, Jason Tiner. So that was the dilemma, if Kenneth had said something about marrying Mac to Laurel, why hadn't he said it to the boys as well? Then it hit her…'Duh Mackenzie! You just thought the answer a second ago! If he'd said anything about it to the twins, they would have told me!'

So the only question remained was, why say anything to Laurel if he wasn't ready for Mac to know? Could he have realized Laurel would be a major stumbling block and wanted to deal with her early?

Oh who was she kidding? There was way more than one question here! Not the least of which was, how did she feel about all this? Sure she was attracted to him, but love? Marriage? Certainly it was way too early to be thinking along those lines? But not for Kenneth it seemed! It all came down to the fact that the two of them badly needed to talk, but she had heard his schedule for the day. He didn't have time to visit the head, let alone have time for a heart to heart talk with her!

She knew that even on their way to the airport they wouldn't be alone, and once on board Air Force One, his 'office in the sky', he would again be in meetings. The trip to Hong Kong was jammed to the minute with one public appearance after another. Mac really didn't want to put this off, but she was afraid they wouldn't have a moment alone during the three day trip and she would have to wait until they were back in the States.

However, just after lunch, as they were waiting to board the helicopter that would take them to the airport, she had just enough time to tell him that she needed to have a private conversation with him whenever he could find the time. Before he could answer, Laurel had come running out of the house clutching the stuffed gorilla that had been her mother's last gift to her. Donna had given it to Laurel for her birthday just two weeks before she died. Laurel clutched it to her every night as she slept.

For the rest of the day at odd moments, Mac found Kenneth's puzzled gaze on her. It was clear he was wondering what she needed to talk to him about.

He knew he needed to talk to her as soon as possible, when she'd asked to speak to him privately. There'd been something soft and feminine about her voice. It hadn't been her usual 'agent speaking to the President' voice and that greatly intrigued him. She could just want to thank him for having a talk with Laurel, but if that was all it was, why not just say 'thank you' and be done with it? He found it very hard to concentrate on the events of the day as a part of his attention was on trying to figure out what she wanted.

To be continued…..


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

It was nearly midnight, the children and Nanny had been in bed for hours, Kenneth had just finished what seemed like his 100th meeting of the day, but finally he was free. As Sarah escorted him from the meeting room to the suite set aside for him, he wondered if he should try and talk to her now when they were both exhausted from a long day, or wait to find a better time? The problem was with as tightly booked as this trip was, that better time might be days away.

The entire floor in the hotel they were staying at had been set aside for their use. Besides the family bedrooms, there were rooms for the Agents, Nanny, and the rest of his staff. There was a meeting room, the security room, where the agents coordinated everything, as well as a sitting and dining room for the family and a dining room for the staff and agents.

So there they stood in the sitting room that adjoined his bedroom, he could simply tell her goodnight and go to bed, or he could find out the answer to the question that had been plaguing him since her request. "Sarah, I know it's late and you usually aren't on duty this long…thank you, by the way, for filling in for Paul…"

Mac smiled slightly as she remembered the sight of Paul Gordon tripping and falling down the stairs as they disembarked from the plane. "He couldn't help breaking his ankle. I was happy to fill in. Was there something else Sir?" She was hoping he wanted to talk to her, but she knew how long of a day it had been for him.

"Yes, there are two things. When we're alone or you're off duty, I'd like it if you used my name."

"I'd like that too, Kenneth," she agreed with a smile. "And the other thing?"

"I was hoping that if you weren't too tired, we might have that conversation you asked me about earlier."

"Certainly, if you're sure you aren't too tired."

He motioned to the couch and waited for her to take a seat before sitting at the opposite end. "I'm very used to functioning on little to no sleep. What was it you wanted to talk about? When you said 'private' I assumed you meant 'personal' as well?"

"Yes, I wanted to discover what you meant when you said Laurel wasn't ready to have me as a stepmother yet." Mac wasn't looking at him, but rather her gaze was firmly focused on her hands, which were nervously twisting in her lap.

That was how she missed his look of consternation. As he realized she had either expanded on, or extrapolated more information from what he had actually said, he had to cover his laugh with a cough. "Sarah, I hate to tell you this, but it wasn't me that cast you in the role of step mother to the children. Laurel had heard Nanny telling one of the agents that she thought I should get married again. Because Laurel knows I like you, and on top of that I was defending you against her behavior, she assumed that I meant I was going to marry you."

"Oh Lord! How embarrassing! I'm so sorry that I thought you were interested in me!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pacing around the room. "How could I have been so stupid to think your friendliness was more that that?!"

"Sarah stop!" he ordered and was actually surprised when she did.

Used to following orders, Mac had halted her pacing and had even started to snap to attention when she remembered that she was no longer a Marine and that this wasn't her Commanding Officer, instead he was her Commander in Chief! Standing there halfway across the room from him, she waited for him to speak, not able to meet his eyes.

Getting to his feet, Kenneth walked over to Mac and stopped in front of her. "Sarah, you weren't wrong, I am interested in you, but there are a lot of things to consider. The children are my top priority, as is the fact that anyone I might date would suddenly become a very public figure. I have thought about this before now, but realized that I would have to almost be ready to propose before I could subject a woman to the media frenzy that would be caused by a single date with me. It just didn't seem worth the effort and that was why I have never become involved with anyone."

"I can understand that," she told him softly. "I'm sure when you find the woman that you could be serious about, she'll be willing to face whatever comes your way."

To be continued…..


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Sarah, I don't think I'll have to wait long at all for that to happen. I'm very attracted to you and would like to spend some time getting to know you better. I was hoping that might be where we were heading," Kenneth said in response to Mac's statement.

"Oh…I do like you Kenneth, but there are things in my past that you don't know, and if…no, when, they came out, they would hurt you politically."

"I'm aware of your past Sarah. I've read your personal file," he informed her.

"But there are things that aren't in there," she said sadly. "For one, I am a recovering alcoholic."

"About four years since you've had any at all, but that hardly counted since it was forced on you by a madman. If I remember right, it was actually more like eighteen or nineteen years ago."

Stunned that he knew that, she answered, "Nineteen years, four months, twenty-two days." She could have given him hours and minutes too, but it didn't seem vitally important. "That madman also killed the man I was dating."

"I know, but I don't see that as a current problem, do you?"

"I guess not...but there are other things in my past…I was married and ended up killing him…"

"It was an accident, I read the report Sarah. You see, I do know about you. I also know you were engaged to an Australian, but you called off the wedding when your partner was lost at sea."

"Do you know that my father was an alcoholic, my mother ran out on us, and that my uncle is in prison, for stealing the Declaration of Independence!? That's some family history I have!" she stated somewhat defiantly.

"Yes, I do know those things, I also know that you were almost killed trying to save a child's life, and that you're a big sister to a little girl that desperately needed a family. You're a kind, considerate, compassionate, woman whose bravery astonishes me. We all have things in our past we've had to overcome, but it is in how we do that, that tests the measure of who we are. You, Sarah Mackenzie, are a person worth of all the best life has to offer."

Still in a daze that he truly knew so much about her and still seemed to want to know her better, she hung her head and said, "Thank you, Kenneth that has to be the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me."

"I'd like to spend a lot of time saying nice things to you if you'd let me," he told her softly.

"I'd like that," she replied with a bit of a blush. "I just don't know what to say! You know all that about me and yet you still think we could stand a chance of surviving public opinion?"

"We've both seen action in our military careers and survived, surely we can survive the press!" he claimed with a twinkle in his eye.

"The press can be as deadly as enemy fire," Mac insisted.

"Only if we have something to hide. When we decide that we're ready to 'go public' with our relationship, we'll be open and honest about your past. With nothing to hide, there'll be no ambushes."

"I wish I had your confidence," she sighed.

"I didn't say it wouldn't be hard, but nothing really worth having is easy."

"Alright, but we do need to keep this quiet because if it were known we were 'seeing' each other, I couldn't be your agent any longer."

"Then we will keep it between us until we are sure."

"Okay."

"So, shall we seal this promise with a handshake or a kiss?"

Staring at his luscious lips that were just inches from her own as he asked her the question, she smiled slightly and said, "Oh I think I'd like the kiss please."

Kenneth brought his lips down on hers in a very tender sweet kiss. It didn't last long or turn passionate, but as a first kiss it was very nearly perfect. Unfortunately, as it ended, Kenneth couldn't control the yawn that slipped out.

Mac looked at his dismayed fact and burst out laughing. "So much for Mr. 'I can get by on little or no sleep'!"

"Well, I'm not getting any younger!" he protested.

"Why don't you take those weary old bones to bed then?" she teased.

"Why Agent Mackenzie! Are you suggesting we sleep together?" he asked in mock shock.

To be continued…..


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"No, I'm suggesting we each go to our own beds and dream of each other," Mac told him.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Kenneth whispered, and after giving her another brief, but tender kiss, he said, "Good night Sarah."

"Good night Kenneth," she whispered to his retreating back.

The next morning they greeted each other with sly smiles. It was nice having a shared secret from the rest of the world. Throughout the rest of the busy day every so often one would catch the other staring and they would share a secret smile.

The twins, of course, were too young and busy to notice anything that didn't relate directly to them, but a time or two during the day, Laurel saw Mac and her father smiling at each other. She didn't like it.

Laurel was even more upset when she overheard her father invite Agent Mac to dinner that night. She knew that Mac went off duty before dinnertime so she knew this wasn't a work thing.

Later, when the children and Nanny were sitting down to eat, they were informed that Kenneth wouldn't be joining them. Laurel almost burst into tears, but remembered what her father had taught her, 'There was no need to resort to tears if you could figure out how to solve the problem'. So she sat there thinking of how she could solve the problem of her father having dinner with Agent Mac. She couldn't throw a tantrum, that would only get her in trouble, and she couldn't involve the twins for two reasons, they could never be trusted to follow a plan, and they liked Agent Mac! So she was going to have to come up with a plan on her own!

Her opportunity came just before dessert was served. Nanny got a phone call from her sister and had left the table to gain some privacy. Laurel spotted the steak knife on Nanny's plate and knew her father would have to come if there was an emergency. Quickly picking up the knife, she sliced into her finger.

Mac was on her way to the family dining room to join them for dinner when she saw Agent Rogers outside Kenneth's sitting room door. Knowing Rogers' was his night guard that evening, Mac approached and asked, "Is the President running late for dinner?"

"No Ma'am," Rogers replied. "He said the two of you had something important to go over and that you would be having dinner alone in here."

"I see. I hope I'm not in trouble," she tried to joke with him to cover for not knowing the plan.

"I'm sure I wouldn't know Ma'am." His response was accompanied by a frown.

Mac sighed as she knocked on the door. She still had a ways to go to earn the 'boys club' trust. The door opened and Kenneth stood there in casual slacks and a pullover sweater, he looked relaxed and happy.

"Come in Agent Mackenzie," he invited.

Once she was in the room he closed the door and greeted her with a soft kiss.

"Mmmm," she sighed when the kiss ended, "So I'm not in trouble…"

"What?" he questioned perplexed.

"Just a joke I tried out on Rogers that fell flat."

"I see, having trouble fitting in?"

"Nothing I can't handle," she assured him.

"I didn't have any doubts about that, but you know they're intimidated by you, don't you?"

"What?! Why?"

"Because Leland thought enough of you to bring you in and give you the lead job over more seasoned Agents. They have to know there's something special about you and I don't mean what's in your file. They have some of the top security clearances in the land and if they can't find it, whatever it is must be VERY top secret."

"But there isn't anything! You know that!" she protested.

"Yes, I do, but they don't and that's why they're intimidated."

"So what do I do? Let them go on thinking there's something hidden or admit there's not?"

"Neither Sarah. Just let who you are and how you do your job win them over," he responded with a smile and then led her to the small table set for two. As they sat down he told her, "I wanted to have flowers for you, but thought it might look a little odd since this is supposed to be a business meeting."

"Thank you Kenneth, it's the thought that counts. Should we talk business for a while so we can't be accused of lying?" she asked with a teasing grin.

To be continued…..


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"We already have," Kenneth answered. "We talked about how you're fitting in."

"Yes, I guess we did. So what else should we talk about?" Mac asked.

"Why don't you tell me what interests you? What do you do in your free time?"

Mac chuckled, "Free time? What's that? I really haven't had a lot of that over the years. When I was at JAG I was always putting in long hours and usually took work home with me too."

"Surely you must have had some outside interests?" he protested.

"Well I did spend time with Chloe, my 'little sister', whenever I could. I do like to read up on archeology and visit museums when I get the chance. I went on a dig once when I was in college and have had the bug ever since."

"It sounds like it was great fun for you or you wouldn't have stayed interested in it all this time."

"It was, someday I'd like to do it again before I'm too old to be digging in the dirt."

"Oh come on now! Leading archeologists are all in their sixties and seventies! Believe me, they aren't all Indiana Jones."

"I know that," she laughed. "But they have all the young students doing most of the digging."

"I guess that's true," he laughed too.

"Other than riding what do you like to do with your precious little free time?"

"In the past I spent it all with the children, but now I want to share some of it with you," he said softly and reached across the table to take her hand.

With a happy sigh, she squeezed his and said, "I'd like that."

His cook entered the room then with their meal and they quickly broke apart. They concentrated on eating for a while and were halfway through their entrée when they heard Laurel scream. Both of them were on their feet in an instant and running for the door.

Kenneth's agent followed them as they raced into the dining room. Nanny was holding the girl who was now calling for her father rather that just screaming. Her brothers were looking on with uncertainty, not sure what to do.

As Kenneth hurried over to Laurel, Nanny looked up and said, "Oh Mr. President! It's not as bad as she's making it seem. It's just a scratch really!"

"But I'm BLEEDING!" Laurel cried out.

"Laurel let me see," Kenneth insisted and gave Nanny a brief smile as she gave him Laurel's hand.

"Oh Daddy am I going to bleed to death? Do I need to go to the hospital for STITCHES?!" his daughter wailed.

Trying to suppress a smile at his daughter's histrionics, he said, "Laurel, it's a tiny cut and it's already stopped bleeding."

"It has?" she looked at her finger with a combination of suspicion and disbelief. It had hurt so bad when she cut it that she couldn't understand how it could have betrayed her by stopping bleeding so quickly.

Kenneth bent his head and kissed her finger, saying, "There-there, all better now. You let Nanny bandage it up and I can get back to my dinner with Agent Mac."

"But DADDY! I'm hurt!" Laurel shouted.

"Sweetie it's just a scratch. You'll be just fine," he said patting the top of her head and starting from the room.

"You don't love me!" she cried, seeing that she was about to be abandoned in her hour of pain.

He turned back just as he reached the door and told her, "I do love you Laurel, but you're not badly hurt and Nanny can take care of it from here. Now, I'm going back to my dinner with Agent Mac. You all have your dessert and I'll be back in time to tuck you in."

"Okay Daddy," the twins called out as Laurel watched him leave with Mac in sullen silence.

Once out of the room, Mac asked gently, "Are you sure you don't want to stay with her? We could have dinner another time."

"Sarah, she's fine and there aren't that many chances for us to have dinner. I want this time with you," he said softly so Agent Rogers, who was in the hall with them, couldn't overhear.

To be continued…..


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

With a smile, Mac opened the door to the sitting room. When they were alone, she stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, "I want this time too. I just didn't want to come between you and Laurel if you really needed to be with her."

Kenneth pulled her into his arms when she would have stepped away, and kissed her soundly. "That's only one of the reasons I like you so much Sarah. You're willingness to put others first even if it goes against what you want."

"Children should always come first Kenneth. They need all the loving attention we can give them. I know how a childhood without it can be."

"I agree with you, but I'm sorry that you had to go through it to find that out," he offered gently giving her a comforting hug.

Finding it hard to find the words to express how much she appreciated his understanding, she asked, "Shall we get back to our dinner?"

Feeling that she needed the emotional break from the subject, Kenneth agreed and held out her chair for her. They resumed their meal, chatting lightly about anything they could think of. When they'd finished the food in front of them Kenneth rang the small bell that was sitting on the table. His cook came in and began clearing the table as he asked if everything had been to their satisfaction. Assured that it had been, he asked what they wanted for desert. Mac groaned and placed her hand on her tummy, declaring she was full. The cook looked very disappointed.

Kenneth grinned and said, "What about some ice cream? You don't need much room for that, it just sort of fills in the gaps."

Mac laughed at his…dare she think 'childlike' reasoning? But nonetheless nodded and agreed that she could probably find room for some ice cream as long as it was chocolate.

The cook quickly assured her that he would find some and asked Kenneth what he wanted.

"Chocolate ice cream will be fine for me too. Thank you Carl."

Left alone again, Kenneth asked if she would join him on the sofa. Mac smiled and took the hand he offered her. As soon as they were comfortably settled on the couch Kenneth wanted to know, "How soon do you think we could have another 'meeting' like this?"

"I don't know, how often did you have 'meetings' with your last agent?" she questioned with a grin.

"Michaels just wasn't my type," he replied.

"Male?"

"That and bald."

"Oh bald isn't so bad," Mac answered, remembering a certain bald Admiral that she'd been attracted to at one time.

"I see…should I think about shaving my head then?" he teased, running his hand over his thick dark hair.

"No need, I like you just the way you are."

"That's good to know, but about our meetings…do you think we could get away with one a week?"

"With your schedule I really doubt it and with me with you five days a week, eight hours a day, how would we justify needing a special meeting?"

"You're right. It could also look like I question your competence if I feel the need to have extra meetings with you. So then, how do we find time together?" His brow furrowed in concentration.

Mac too thought over any options she could come up with and her face brightened just as Carl came back into the room with their ice scream.

Once they were alone with their dessert, Kenneth questioned, "You had an idea just before we were interrupted, what was it?"

"Well you ride on the weekends whenever you can and I know the children arrive as you finish your ride for their lessons, but why couldn't you start an hour earlier? Even if we stopped to chat for a while, you could still get your ride in…" she trailed off looking at him hopefully.

His face told her his reaction before he spoke, "Sarah that's a wonderful idea!" He leaned close to her and placed a cool chocolaty kiss on her lips.

With a sigh she melted into the kiss almost missing the coffee table in her haste to put her bowl down. Kenneth quickly put his aside as well and drew her into his arms. They explored each others mouths enjoying the chocolate flavor on the others tongue as they met and caressed.

Her hands twined around his neck as his arms pulled her close. She ran her hands through his hair as he stroked her back. Neither seemed able to keep their hands from exploring.

To be continued…..


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Mac knew she was in trouble when her desire to feel his naked flesh under her hands had her reaching for his tie to undo it.

Kenneth knew he was on dangerous ground when his fingers repeatedly stroked over the clasp of her bra, even through her blouse, it would be so easy to undo it.

Both reluctantly parted, sharing embarrassed grins that they had let a simple kiss go so far.

"I'm sorry Sar…"

"Please forgive me…"

They both spoke at the same time and then stopped with a nervous laugh.

"Please don't…"

"I wasn't going…"

It happened again and he said, "You go first."

"I was going to say, 'please don't apologize'," she told him softly.

"And I was going to say, 'I wasn't going to apologize for kissing you, just for letting it get out of hand'," he offered with a smile.

"Oh!" she smiled back at him and said, "Good, because I'm not sorry it happened either."

Drawing her gently into his arms he told her, "I'm glad."

They nestled in each other's arms talking and sharing light kisses until twenty-four minutes later she said, "As much as I hate this to end this, it's the children's bedtime."

Kenneth twisted his arm to look at his watch and discovered she was right. "How did you know that? There's no clock around and I've never seen you wear a watch!"

"I don't know, for as long as I can remember it's just something I've always been able to do."

"That would be a useful ability! I don't suppose you can teach me?" he grinned as they rose from the couch.

"I doubt it. I don't know how I do it, so wouldn't have any idea of where to start."

"Oh well, I'll just have to admire your super power," he teased, then gave her a brief kiss and said, "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes," she whispered, watching him leave.

Thursday, July 20, 2003

0800 EST

Hong Kong

Mac stopped in the security room for the overnight report only to find it in an uproar. Less than an hour earlier a death threat to the President had come in and the agents were busy tracking down any leads. Mac was quickly brought up to speed and then they talked over the degree of the threat. Was this enough to cancel the rest of his trip? It was decided that until they had more information not to call off the trip. Since they were going home the next day anyway, that seemed a safe bet unless the situation changed. Once she saw that everything that needed to be done was being done, she left instructions that she be informed of any discovery then left the room.

Entering the family dining room she relieved Kenneth's night guard and then greeted her charge, "Good morning Mr. President, something has come up and I need ten minutes of your time before your meetings start today."

His press secretary who had been briefing him on the day's agenda was already shaking her head negatively.

Seeing the look on Sarah's face and knowing this was something serious, he wiped his mouth on his napkin and rose saying, "Let's talk in my sitting room."

The two of them left together upsetting everyone in the room. His press secretary was upset that he'd left in the middle of their briefing, the twins were upset because Agent Mac hadn't even said hi to them, and Laurel was put out because her father was going off alone once again with Agent Mac. Even Nanny disapproved of the example Kenneth was setting for the children by not finishing his meal.

Unaware of the turmoil they'd left behind, Kenneth tried to lighten the serious mood when the got to the sitting room, "I'm guessing you didn't get me alone so you could kiss me?"

"As much as I like that idea, it wasn't my reason for getting you alone. There's been a threat against you. We've reviewed security and changed all travel routes for today, but consider it a low enough risk not to cancel the rest of the trip. If that changes during the day, I'll make sure you're informed."

"Against just me, or the children too?" he questioned.

"I wouldn't say 'just' you, but the children weren't mentioned. Still there will be an extra agent assigned to everyone today."

"Alright Sarah, I trust you to know what you're doing, just please make sure the children are safe."

"It's my job to make sure you're all safe," she told him.

"I know and I trust that you will." Then with a wicked grin, he asked, "How many of our ten minutes are left?"

To be continued…..


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Two, why?" Mac answered.

"Because I can't resist doing this," Kenneth told her as he took her into his arms.

She melted as she felt his lips on hers. Mac was on duty and knew this shouldn't be happening, but she couldn't help herself as her arms crept up around his neck. Knowing how many agents were on duty on the floor and aware of the relative safety of the situation, she still knew that she should never be this distracted while guarding the Stallion.

Mac moaned as their bodies pressed together, he was certainly living up to that name right now! The evidence of his desire was pressed firmly against her belly.

Kenneth gasped air into his lungs as he took a quick step back from Sarah. He began to apologize even as he reached out a hand to steady her from his abrupt departure. "I'm so sorry Sarah, I just can't seem to keep from losing control when I'm around you. I hope you can forgive me."

She watched him trying to calm his raging emotions so they could leave the room without embarrassing himself. It wasn't fair that only his reaction showed. "I don't need or want an apology. I shouldn't have let that happen while I was the one guarding you, but that being said, I lose control in your arms too. I'm just lucky enough that my clothes hide it. Believe me I was as ready for more as you were," she admitted quietly.

"Oh Sarah," he sighed, pulling her close for a comforting hug.

"I know, but we should get back now." She reluctantly pulled away to straighten her clothes and smooth a hand over her hair to make sure it wasn't out of place.

He quickly did the same and with a smile and nod at each other, they were ready to face the rest of the day.

Whether because of the agents heightened alert status or that the threat had just been a hoax, nothing out of the ordinary took place that day. Mac had however stayed on duty longer than her normal shift. Because she had ordered an extra agent per family member that day, she had taken it upon herself to attend the farewell dinner held for Kenneth that evening. The children had been going to bed as it started and had been deeply asleep when Kenneth returned to the hotel.

Mac turned him over to his night guards as he went to look in on the children. She had just undressed and flipped on the TV to catch the late night news when her personal cell phone rang. Wondering who could be calling her, she opened the cell phone to find it was a local call. "Hello?"

"Am I disturbing you, Sarah?" Kenneth's voice came clearly over the line.

She knew he was just down the hall from her and that he had the rest of the evening free, but she was still surprised that he had called her like this. "Not at all," she assured him as she turned off the TV.

"I know we had dinner in the same room tonight, but it wasn't nearly as nice as last night."

"No it wasn't," she admitted.

"I was hoping that if you weren't too tired we might talk for a while?"

"I'd like that," Mac told him sinking down on the bed with a smile. She curled her legs up under her and propped her back against a pillow.

"I'm really looking forward to our ride on Saturday. We are still on for an hour earlier than usual, right?"

"Yes we are, and I'm looking forward to it too, but you know nothing can happen other that us talking, right?"

"I know that you'll be on duty Sarah, and right now I have way too much to live for to take chances with my safety. But I have to admit it would be fun to hear you explain how the super secret ninja assassins managed to sneak up on us in the open field where we were laying on a blanket making love, and how you magnificently saved the day by jumping to your feet and stunning them with the beauty of your superbly naked body. Then while they stood there in open-mouthed awe, you dispatched the entire gang with some well placed ninja kicks of your own and we had just enough time for a soul-shattering kiss before getting our clothes back on just as the rest of the agents arrived to render assistance that you never needed!"

To be continued…..


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Mac sat there trying valiantly to suppress her laughter at his scenario, so very glad he couldn't see the tears of mirth sliding down her cheeks. Biting her lip, she tried to sound as indignant as possible as she demanded, "And just what were you doing while I dispatched this gang?"

"I was watching in erotic amazement…oh and saving the thermos of coffee from being spilled," Kenneth answered with a laugh.

She couldn't hold her amusement in any longer and sputtered through her giggles, "Oh, well as long as you kept the coffee safe, I guess that was okay."

"Always a Marine at heart…save the coffee at all costs!" he chuckled.

Her next comment though, drove all laughter from his voice, in fact, he could barely breathe after Sarah asked, "So, you've thought about us making love?"

When he could finally draw air into his lungs, he questioned, "Yes, haven't you?"

Almost breathless now, Mac answered slowly, "Actually, I've been trying hard not to think of that."

"Why Sarah?"

"Because if I'd let myself go there, and that wasn't how you were thinking this rela…association between us would go, then I would have those images in my mind every time we were together."

"And now that you know I want our…relationship to go in that direction?"

"I think I'm going to have a very hard time going to sleep tonight!" she groaned.

"I can't wait to get to sleep myself," he told her.

"Why?" Mac asked, truly bewildered.

"Because I'm sure my dreams will be filled with a beautiful naked ninja!"

She laughed and replied, "Maybe mine will star a naked coffee-hero."

"Ah, but when the fight is over, which will you reach for first? Me or the coffee?"

"Neither," she said, much to his disappointment. "I would get my clothes and tell you to do the same because you said the other agents were on their way to help us and if we're trying to keep our relationship quiet for a while, our being naked would be a dead give away."

"You don't think they would believe nude sunbathing?"

"I wouldn't!" she laughed.

"Neither would I! No man in his right mind could be naked with someone as beautiful and special as you and not want to make love to you."

"Oh Kenneth thank you, that is the sweetest thing anyone has said to me in a long time."

"You do know that now I'm going to have a hard time getting to sleep too, don't you?"

"No…why?" she wanted to know.

"Because the thought of you just down the hall thinking of me naked is going to make it very hard not to come over there to see you."

"Would it help if I told you I was wearing a T-shirt and boxers and not a sexy nightie?"

"Men's boxers?"

"Yes why?"

"Damn it Sarah, now you've got me wondering who they belonged to, and even though I have no right to feel jealous about your past…I find that I am!"

"Kenneth, no one owned them before me. I bought them myself because a friend…a girl friend, told me they were very comfortable."

"You didn't have to tell me that Sarah, but thank you for doing so. I might be able to sleep now."

"Wait…you didn't tell me what you were wearing."

A chuckle came over the line as he asked, "Would you believe that I'm wearing a T-shirt and boxers too?"

"Hmmmm…and was there a previous owner to your boxers?"

"What? Are you asking if I'm gay or bi? I can assure you there hasn't been anyone since my wife died and I've never had a male lover!"

"I'm sorry, Kenneth, I didn't mean to upset you. I was only teasing, honestly," she told him contritely.

Mollified, he said, "Okay. Sorry I over reacted."

"It's okay, really. I had a friend in college that was gay. I remember the tough time he had and he wasn't in the public eye like you are. I mean look at us, having to be so careful because of your position!"

"Thank you for understanding and not immediately assuming from my comments that I was a bigot. That means a lot to me, Sarah."

To be continued…..


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

"You forget how much time I've spent with you in the last few weeks. I know you're not a bigot in any way, shape, or form," Mac assured him.

"Thank you again. Now I suppose we both better get some sleep. It's a long trip home tomorrow," Kenneth sighed.

"Yes, but it's my day off, so even though I'll be on the same plane, I can sleep all the way home if I want to!" she laughed.

"And here I was hoping that we could spend some time together, but if you're going to be sleeping…" he trailed off.

She laughed happily, "If you actually think you can find time for me tomorrow, then I'm signing off to go to sleep now!"

"Good, I'll talk to you tomorrow Sarah. Sleep well," he said, the last part in a softer tone that had Mac quivering.

"I will if I dream of you," she offered.

"As will I," he responded and they both hung up smiling.

Morning dawned and everyone was busy with the preparations for going home. Mac had allowed herself to sleep in, an entire half an hour later than her usual wake up time, then she'd taken a shower and headed to the security room. Just as it had been the day before the room was a frantic hive of activity. Another threat had come in and as with the one from yesterday, any lead they had quickly went nowhere.

Mac sat in on the briefing on changing the family's route to the airport. She even offered a suggestion that won her major points in her quest to gain approval from the 'boys club'. Since changing the routes yesterday had resulted in nothing happening, her proposal was that if they wanted to catch this person or group that using the planned route as a decoy might flush them out.

Meanwhile the family would be in another vehicle with one agent each. The other agents would be with the original route so it would look as legit as possible. In fact the children would even be loaded into the first car and as soon as it passed under the hotel's overhand, would stop for a few seconds to let them out, where their other agents would be waiting to whisk them to the second vehicle. Agent Walters who most resembled the President in size and coloring would be posing as Kenneth in the decoy vehicle.

The looks of respect and admiration Mac got for this plan told her that she had risen several notches in their estimation. Because of that, Mac was to be Kenneth's guard in the 'catering van' they would obtain to deliver the first family to the airport.

While the plan was being explained to the family Mac arrived with their disguises. Kenneth donned his white caterer's jacket, as did the other agents, without a comment. The twins thought it a great lark when they were told that once they left the decoy car they would be placed in large cloth bags and carried to the van as soiled linen. Laurel, on the other hand, protested vehemently. She did NOT want to be put in a bag! She was NOT dirty laundry!

Hoping to get in the child's good graces, Mac quickly stated that since they were in Hong Kong and many of the natives were small, she would find a white jacket in Laurel's size and she could be one of the 'staff' just like her father. This seemed to mollify the little girl, Mac even got a small smile and a muttered 'Thank you'. That was until she heard Matt's agent telling him that this whole plan had been Mac's idea. The smile was gone and Laurel was right back to glaring at Mac.

The plan however worked beautifully. The children were ushered into the decoy car as was the fake President, then the children were extracted and safely escorted to the catering van where Mac and their father anxiously awaited their arrival. Once everyone was safely in the vehicle, they made a circuitous journey to the airport using side roads whenever possible. They arrived without incident, only to be informed that the decoy vehicle had as well. But the up-side was that they were now heading home and even if they hadn't captured the person or group sending the threatening letters, at least there was the possibility that they were leaving them behind in Hong Kong.

To be continued…..


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

As the children were ushered to their Nanny, who was waiting for them, Mac released Kenneth into the care of his 'on duty' agent. As Mac passed the international group of political science students that Kenneth was scheduled to speak to as soon as the plane was in the air, she noticed that their professor looked highly agitated and fearful. She thought it a bit odd, but then put it down to meeting the President of the United States, combined with the possibility of fear of flying. Mac knew the group of ten students and their professor had been cleared through all the proper channels and with the latest threat against Kenneth, she was sure ID's had been checked and rechecked. Once in the break room she took off her earpiece and weapon, placing them in her locker and headed for the coffee machine.

President Kennex spent just over an hour of the allotted two hours he was to spend with the students delivering the speech he'd prepared. He had left the last fifty minutes free for questions. In the past he had found the students always had a lot of questions, in fact, there were times he was sure he could have skipped a speech and just have gone right to the questions. This time, however, there were almost no questions, just two from the professor himself, asked in a nervous and distracted tone and one rather hostile question from one of the students.

Finished thirty-five minutes ahead of schedule, Kenneth was glad that this would give him even more time to spend with Sarah. After his time with the students he had two hours all to himself before lunch with the children. He found Sarah in the break room with three other off duty agents, one of whom was Paul Gordon. Paul was sitting as far from Sarah as the room would allow with his broken ankle propped up on a pillow on the coffee table in front of him.

"Agent Mackenzie, I'd like to talk to you about the situation we were just in. Maybe toss around some ideas on why they didn't take the decoy."

"Of course, Sir!" Mac said, jumping to her feet ready to follow her Commander in Chief anywhere Kenneth needed her.

"Griffin, you can stay here if you like. Take a break why don't you? I'm sure I'll be safe with Agent Mackenzie, we'll be just down the hall."

"Yes Sir," Griffin said, and walked over to the coffee machine.

They entered Kenneth's office and he closed the door behind them, locking it in the process. Mac grinned as she stepped into his open arms. "Great idea to get us alone, SIR," she chuckled.

Nibbling at her ear, he whispered, "I thought so too."

For several minutes, nothing more was said as they kissed and caressed each other. Suddenly a shout from the other room broke them apart. When it was quickly followed by a gunshot, Mac dropped into combat mode. Sparing one fleeting curse that she wasn't armed or connected to the other agents because of taking her gear off, she searched the office for a plan. Knowing that they would be after Kenneth in a moment, she dragged the desk chair out and reached for his arm.

Kenneth had started for the door the second he heard the shot, his first thought, as always, was for the children.

"Where do you think you're going?!" Mac demanded as she grabbed him and pulled him towards the desk.

"The children…"

"Have Agents protecting them!" she interrupted. "You get under the desk now!"

"What?!"

"Damn it Kenneth, this is no time to argue!" she exclaimed, tripping him with a well-placed leg behind his knee. Once he was on his hands and knees on the floor, she pushed him into the leg opening on the desk. "Get in there and stay there!"

Seeing the intent look on her face as Mac tried to hear what was happening outside the room they were in, he knew that she needed him safe so she could concentrate on other things. Just as he backed into the small opening, Mac saw the doorknob start to turn. She flung herself into the chair and moved in front of the opening to shield him from sight as much as possible.

The locked door was easily broken down and three armed 'students' entered the room. They were surprised to find Mac in the room alone. She jumped to her feet as the men entered, taking a shuddering breath, she demanded, "What do you want?"

To be continued…..


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"Where's the President?" one of the men shouted pointing his gun at Mac.

"He went to the bathroom!" she allowed her voice to quiver.

"Who are you?" the same armed man questioned.

"His girlfriend! What's it to you?" she demanded defiantly.

No matter how dire the situation was Kenneth couldn't help the jolt of pleasure that went through him when he heard Sarah declare that.

"Find him!" 'the talker' told one of the other men.

As he left the room, Mac muttered loud enough for the other two to hear, "Boy, you secret service guys are lame if you lose him so easy!"

With a grunt 'the talker' said, "Let's get out of here, she's too stupid to be a threat!"

"Hey…I'm not stupid!" she called after them in a vapid tone. As soon as they were gone, she bent to help Kenneth out from under the desk. "We've got to get you to the escape pod," she told him.

"I'm not going without the children Sarah," he informed her as she checked to see if the hall was clear.

"Their agents probably already have them there," Mac stated as she took in Griffin and another agent lying dead in the hall. From around the corner, she could hear a commotion outside the bathroom. She motioned Kenneth into the hall and around the far corner as she heard the bathroom door lock being shot off and Paul Gordon pulled out shouting.

Mac pulled open the hatch to the lower level of the plane and practically pushed Kenneth down the stairs in her hurry to get him to safety. She spared a few extra seconds to close the hatch quietly instead of slamming it closed hoping to gain them more time.

The twins were already in the pod, having arrived from the rear hatch near their playroom. Her agent was dragging Laurel towards it, when Mac and Kenneth arrived. "Get in!" she ordered him.

"Not until Laurel is in!" he retorted.

"Save time, get in! I'll make sure she does!" Mac insisted, and Kenneth seeing the sense in that, got in.

Once he was safely in, Mac turned to lift Laurel in next to her family, but just as she did, young Laurel bit the finger of her agent who dropped her in surprise. Before anyone could grab her, two things happened. The hatch Mac and Kenneth had come through opened and gun shots started flying, and Laurel shouted, "I told you I needed to get Terko!" Her stuff gorilla had been named after Tarzan's best friend Terkoz in the Disney movie that she had seen on her birthday the year her mother died. With the speed of a rabbit out running a forest fire, the little girl darted past three agents that grabbed for her and headed to the back hatch.

The other agents were trying to keep the terrorists pinned down on the stairs so that the first family could get away safely. Mac could tell by the sounds of the fight behind her that they were soon going to be overrun, and she needed to get them away as quickly as possible.

Mac looked at Kenneth and the boys in the escape pod and knew what she had to do. Hitting the control button to close the door, she watched as comprehension dawned on Kenneth's face and he moved to try and stop her. "Don't do it Sarah!" he shouted as her hand moved to the release lever.

"I have to," she answered sadly.

"Not without Laurel!"

"My job is to keep YOU safe."

"Sarah! Please don't!" he begged.

"I'm so sorry," she told him, tears held at bay with only the greatest of efforts.

"NO!" he ordered.

"I'll die before I let them harm her!"

"Don't do this please!"

She closed her eyes for just a second as she pulled the lever and as the pod started to slide away, she whispered, "I love you." Mac knew it might be the very well be the last words she ever said to him.

The stunned look on his face as the pod dropped out of sight told her that he'd seen and understood her last words to him. As soon as they were gone, Mac took off after Laurel. Still without a weapon or communication device, she wouldn't be much help combating the terrorists, but she'd made a promise to Kenneth and she intended to keep it!

To be continued…..


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Mac caught up with Laurel in the playroom. The child had gotten her toy and was on her way back to the escape pod. After explaining that the pod was gone, Mac told her, "I know you don't like me Laurel, but you're going to have to trust me now. The bad guys don't know that you weren't in the pod with your father and brothers and we need to keep it that way. We need to find a place for you to hide."

She was quickly assessing the room and decided that the toy chest was the best choice. There were a few slats in the sides as part of the design that would let in air and light plus it was unlikely the terrorists would have a reason to look in there. Dumping the toys out and scattering them around the room, Mac grabbed a basket full of fruit, rice crispy treats and some juice boxes that was there for the children to snack on. It wouldn't have met with Nanny's approval for a proper meal, but it would have to do for now.

"Laurel, I need you to get in this box and stay there. Don't come out for ANY reason unless I tell you it's safe. There's food and drink here if you get hungry and I'll check on you as often as I can, but we can't let them know you're still on the plane. Do you understand?"

Nodding reluctantly, the little girl stood there clutching her gorilla, trembling with fear. Mac gently led her to the box and helped her inside. "I'm sorry about this Laurel, but I promised your father I would keep you safe." She dared to place a kiss on the top of the child's head before she closed the lid.

She heard footsteps coming her way and hurried to a cabinet on the far side of the room. Mac flung it open and started to crawl inside just as the door opened. She gave a fake squeak of surprise when she looked at the three men and pretended to keep trying to get into the cabinet.

"Grab her!" one of the men shouted when they spotted her.

"Who are you?" another demanded.

But before Mac could answer, one of the men that had seen her in Kenneth's office replied, "She's Kennex' girl friend."

"And what were you doing in here?" the first man snapped.

"Well, duh! I was looking for a place to hide!" Mac exclaimed. "The stupid secret service agents didn't get me into the pod, just the family!" she added with a realistic looking pout.

"Put her with the rest of them!" the first man ordered.

Praying that Laurel wouldn't panic and reveal herself, Mac went quietly along with her guards. As they shoved her into the conference room, one of her guards reported to the man watching the door that even though the family had gotten away, they still had the President's girlfriend to bargain with. Inside the room, Mac was met with speculative glances.

When the door closed, she asked for a status report. Her heart clenched as she heard that four agents and Kenneth's press secretary were dead, while only two of the ten terrorists had been killed in the gunfight in the hold. She then told them Laurel was safe for the moment and hidden in the playroom. As far as their captors knew she had gotten away with Kenneth and the boys. Mac also explained how they had come to believe she was Kenneth's girl friend and advised them to keep up the charade. "Now do we know what they want and how this all happened yet?" she questioned.

The how was easy, the professor explained, he had been forced to go along with the plan or his wife, two children and the ten real students would all have been killed. All of them were being held at the professor's home, to make sure he complied with their plan. However, he could not tell them any more than he had about what they wanted now.

No one else had heard anything either. They were left for quite some time without any contact from their captors. The only convenience they had was that there was a restroom connected to the conference room. However, as time passed Mac knew she had to find a way to check on Laurel.

To be continued…..


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

They had been in the water for a little more than an hour when rescue had arrived. The twins thought the whole experience was terribly exciting and seemed very unconcerned that their sister had been left behind on the plane. By their reasoning, Agent Mac was still on the plane and would keep Laurel safe.

The rescue had come quickly since the second the pod was launched from Air Force One the entire country went into high alert. The trajectory of the pod was tracked and rescue teams were launched immediately. In this case, that meant the USS Lexington. Her skipper was notified of their new orders and the search was on.

A SEAL team in inflatable boats was dispatched from the ship as soon as the pod was in sight. "Mr. President, are you alright?" was the first thing asked by the Navy SEAL that opened the rescue pod door. Assured that he was, they assisted Kenneth and the boys out and turned to the President in surprise when there was no one else in the pod. "Sir, the first daughter?" the Commander asked.

"She's still on the plane," Kenneth replied in a voice that brooked no further questions.

"I'll take you to the skipper Sir, and our ship's doctor is standing by to check you all out."

"We're fine. I'll need transport to Washington ASAP Commander."

"Yes, Sir, the skipper figured that, but a once over from the doctor is SOP Sir."

"Fine, take the boys there now. I'll join you as soon as I've seen your skipper."

Kenneth was escorted into the conference room where Captain Kallai was waiting for him. The greeted each other with a hand shake and Kallai said, "I'm glad you're safe Sir."

"Thank you Captain. Has there been any contact with the plane?"

"The Vice President spoke to them a short time ago and was told that they would only talk to you, so things are on hold until you arrive in Washington."

"Fine, I'm told you have transport ready?"

"Yes Sir, as soon as the doc clears you, you can be wheels up."

"Thank you Captain. I'll head down to sickbay now."

"I'll have someone show you the way," Captain Kallai told him.

"No need, I spent three years on a ship just like this in my Marine days. I'm sure I can remember the way."

Kallai shook his head with a smile. He was impressed with Kennex. 'Glad I voted for him!' he thought.

Less than twenty minutes later, the male members of the first family were on a helicopter on the way home.

The SEALs assigned to guard and escort the President and his sons home turned them over to the secret service agents waiting for them. Joe Leland was the first to greet Kenneth as he stepped from the helicopter. "Everyone is waiting for you in the Ward room Sir."

"Thank you, Joe."

"Sir, do you know if Agent Mackenzie made it?"

Giving the man an odd look for singling out one agent over another Kenneth wondered if there was some kind of history between the two, but now was not the time for such concerns. "She was fine when she sent the pod off without my daughter on board," Kenneth snapped.

Shocked, Joe could only nod as they entered the White House and then the Ward room.

Once everyone was briefed on the situation, Kenneth spoke, "Since my daughter is still on board I am vulnerable to their threats, I am stepping aside because I am compromised. However I will remain here to render any assistance I can."

Just as he finished speaking the phone in the center of the table rang. The only call allowed on that line was from Air Force One. The hijackers were calling. Taking the call, Vice President Hobart said, "Yes?"

"Is the President there yet?"

Leaning forward in his seat Kenneth replied, "I'm here." If they would only talk to him Kenneth figured they needn't know he wasn't in charge at the moment.

"Well it seems today was your lucky day…or maybe not as lucky as you could have hoped, because even though you and your family got away, we still have your woman here with us Mr. President!"

To be continued…..


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Seeing the shocked looks of everyone around the table, Kenneth knew just what they were thinking, but before he could lay to rest what was running through their minds, he needed to deal with the man on the phone. From what the man had said Kenneth had to assume that Sarah had some how managed to hide Laurel. Upset as he was at what she had done he still had to admire her courage and quick thinking in the face of danger.

"Mr. President…" the caller prompted.

Playing the role that was expected of him until he knew more of their plans and demands, Kenneth put an edge of nervousness in his voice as he answered, "My woman? I'm sure I don't know what you mean. The only people on the plane other than my family, was some of my staff, and the secret service agents."

"Oh come now Mr. President, one of my men found her in your office quite disheveled and reported that you had just gone into the restroom, most likely to clean up, one would assume."

"I have no idea whom you are talking about," Kenneth sounded even more nervous now.

Over the phone line they could hear the caller snap, "Get the woman up here!"

It took a few moments for this to be accomplished during which time Kenneth had hit the mute button and quickly began to explain what was going on to those assembled. He told them that Agent Mackenzie had released the pod and then and had ran after his daughter whom it seemed she was successful in hiding from the hijackers. Then he explained that Agent Mackenzie had been in a meeting with him in his office when the whole hijacking had started. They had been talking about the threats received in Hong Kong. They had heard the shooting start and with nowhere to go when the office doorknob rattled, she had shoved him under the desk. She had been off duty so not in her 'dark suit', she quickly messed up her hair, kicked off her shoes, sat down and put her feet on the desk to help hide him.

As soon as the men had left to locate him in the restroom, she had gotten him out and down to the escape pod. "Even though I wanted to make my way to the children, she insisted we go right to the pod. And she was right, when we got there all three children were there. It was Laurel who broke away from her agent to go back and get her stuffed animal. Agent Mackenzie only hesitated a moment when I ordered her not to release the pod till Laurel was back. She calmly told me that it was her job to protect me and that she would do everything in her power to keep Laurel safe, before she released the pod."

Just as he would have said more, Mac's voice came over the speaker phone, "Kenny, why did you leave me?!" she whined.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Ms. Mackenzie."

Tearing up, Mac got into her role, "Oh Kenny, I was so scared when I realized those nasty secret service agents weren't going to save me along with you and the children!"

"What did you do?" he begged for any information she could give him on Laurel.

"After they killed four agents I tried to hide in the children's playroom. I didn't think they'd look for me there since the kids were with you."

"ENOUGH!" barked the voice of the hijacker that had been speaking before. "There you have it, Mr. President. We have your lady love and will not hesitate to kill her if you don't comply with our demands!"

"Oh no!" they all heard Mac exclaim in the background.

Playing his part Kenneth shouted, "You lay one hand on her head and I will hunt you down!"

With a nod at his Vice President, Kenneth signaled that it was time for him to step in. James Hobart spoke loudly and clearly, "I'm sorry Mr. President, but with the situation being what it is, I'm going to have to have you removed from this situation."

"You can't do that!"

To be continued…..


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"I most certainly can! Now will you leave quietly or do I have to have you escorted out?" Hobart demanded.

"Fine, I'm going!" Kenneth exclaimed, getting up and going to the door. He opened and closed it loudly without going through it. Retaking his seat, he motioned for Hobart to go on.

"I'm afraid that you will be dealing with me now Mr. …"

"I will speak to the President!"

"He has been relieved. It is our policy when someone we have a personal involvement with is being threatened."

"So you admit he has a personal involvement with this woman!"

"It would appear so."

"You were unaware of this?"

"Yes, until now. If we had known, the secret service would have had her in the pod too!"

"Well then it is advantageous for us that they did not!"

"Your advantage lost its power when President Kennex was relieved of power."

"So you do not care if we kill her?"

"No more so than any other person on that plane."

"I see, so we should just start killing random people until our demands are met!"

"You have not as yet even listed your demands Mr. …"

"My name is not important! Only our goal is!"

"And what is your goal?"

"All American troops are to be removed from Iraq!"

Stunned silence met this demand. Those in the Ward room had been expecting a monetary amount or the release of some political prisoners, they were dazed to discover how big this group were thinking. Kenneth motioned for the mute button to be used and as soon as it was, said, "They have to know that a demand like that won't be met, so they have to be willing to settle for a lesser goal, we just need time to find out what they really want."

"You're right Kenneth, they can't possibly think that they can demand something like that with only Air Force One and the people on board as bargaining chips. Even if they believe Agent Mackenzie is your girlfriend. I mean that would be a huge thing to demand even of they had you and the children!" Vice President Hobart stated.

"I assume by your silence you are figuring out how to expedite my request," the hijackers voice came into the room.

Hobart un-muted the phone and told him, "You have to know that something of that magnitude is not something I can authorize on my own. I'll have to consult with my advisors."

"You have one hour to come up with a plan," came the reply and the call was ended.

Tensions ran high in the Ward room as different options were thrown out and discussed.

Meanwhile, on the plane, the leader of the hijackers instructed the man who had brought Mac to the command center to return her to the conference room with the rest of the hostages.

As soon as they were alone Mac spoke to the man, "You know that we are getting really hungry in that room. If you'd let me, I could go to the kitchen and get some food. Eating might give them something to do other than making plans to escape…" she slapped her hands over her mouth as if just realizing she was giving away information that she shouldn't.

"What plans?" her escort snarled.

"Oh don't worry, the only things they've come up with so far they are sure would get more of them killed and since the first family is gone they don't seem as willing to die for the staff." She pouted prettily and added, "I don't seem to count at all either!"

"Fine, if I let you get food you will make enough for all of us, and no tricks, you make the same thing for everyone!"

"Okay!" Mac readily agreed hoping to find a way to check on Laurel while she was at it.

She prepared a tray full of sandwiches and told her guard guilelessly, "These are for the hostages, I'll just take them to the conference room and come back and make more for you and the others."

"No! I will take these! You can make more for the captives!"

To be continued…..


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Since that was exactly what Mac had hoped would happen, she tried to conceal a smile as he walked away. As soon as he was out of sight she hurried down the hall and into the playroom. Opening the toy box she found Laurel there clutching her stuffed toy, fast asleep. Mac had brought a sandwich for her and left it in the basket of treats from before. She didn't want to wake the child since sleep was a good way to pass the time while hidden away like she was. Mac knew the sandwich would let Laurel know she'd been there to check on her and hoped that it would reassure her that Mac hadn't forgotten her.

Hurrying back to the galley, she arrived just seconds before her guard did. He looked at the tray in front of her and demanded, "Why haven't you finished?"

Looking flustered, she answered, "Oh, ummmm I was thinking about my boyfriend and guess I lost track of time." Mac lowered her eyes and blushed.

"I thought you were angry with him for leaving you behind when he escaped!" he sneered.

"No, I'm mad at his secret service agents for not getting me in the pod. It wasn't Kenny's fault! I don't think the secret service approve of me being his girlfriend."

Quickly finishing the sandwiches, Mac placed them on the tray and then picked up a pot of hot coffee she'd made along with a stack of Styrofoam cups. "Could you please bring the tray?" she asked prettily as she showed him her hands were full.

The guard at the door of the conference room jeered at the man with the tray, claiming Mac had him doing 'woman's work'! Her guard just glared and motioned for the other man to open the door. Mac led the way to the table and indicated he should put the tray down as she rid herself of the cups.

Mac saw Agent Rogers watching for any opening to take control, so with a slight nod at him, she flung the entire contents of the coffee pot into the man's face. There was only a breath of an exclamation of pain before Rogers felled the man with a karate chop to the back of his neck. Rogers picked up the weapon and offered it to Mac who waved him to keep it. She quietly instructed two agents to tie the unconscious man up and gag him.

She told Rogers to stand ready at the door; sooner or later the guard on the other side would come looking for the man inside. They didn't have long to wait, the man became suspicious when his companion didn't emerge and came in to see what was keeping him. Rogers made quick work of him and he was soon tied and gagged next to the first man.

The good guys now had two weapons and knew where to get two more. The agents that had been captured had their weapons taken, but since Paul Gordon and Mac had been off duty, their guns were in their lockers in the break room. Not able to move quickly or stealthily because of his broken ankle, Paul tossed the key to his locker to one of the other agents and stayed behind in the conference room to guard the prisoners.

Three of the staff members went along with the five agents to help take back the plane. There were still six hijackers loose, so that would help to even the odds. Mac, now armed with her own gun, told the others that she was going to check on Laurel. Kenneth's Foreign Affairs Advisor, Adam Styles, offered to go with her as the other six began their search of the plane.

Mac's heart dropped when she stepped through the playroom door. The lid of the toy box was open and she didn't need to cross the room to know that it would also be empty. Franticly wondering where the child could have gone, she motioned Adam to be quiet when she heard a sound in the hall. Pushing the man into the room, Mac stuck her head around the door.

The fearful squeak she'd heard had been Laurel. She had been discovered by one of the hijackers. "What have we here?" he asked as he grabbed the child roughly by the arm.

To be continued…..


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Quickly putting her gun in the waistband at the back of her jeans Mac stepped into the hall. "Oh good, you found my kid," she said raising her hands to show she was unarmed.

With one hand still holding Laurel, the man pointed the automatic rifle that had been slung over his shoulder at Mac. "Where the hell has she been this whole time?" the man snarled.

Recognizing one of the three that had found her in the playroom, she told him the truth, "I had just hidden her in the toy box before you found me!"

"We had no reports of another child on the flight!" he growled.

"Well, you didn't know that the President had his girlfriend on board either, did you? Susie just comes along as a playmate for Kenny's daughter," Mac informed him, hoping Laurel would realize how important this was and play along.

Seeing the rebellious glint in the girl's eye right before she opened her mouth to refute what Mac had just said, Mac quickly tried to defuse the situation, "In fact, she even steps in to pretend to be his kid when necessary."

"I do NOT! I am Laurel Kennex!" Laurel hotly declared.

"Yeah, sure you are kid!" the man laughed derisively. Focusing on Mac once again, he demanded over the child's protests, "None of that explains why you aren't in the conference room with the others."

As Mac was trying to come up with something the man would believe, gunshots could be heard in the front of the plane. Clutching the child close to him, the hijacker looked around, anxiously trying to figure out what was going on.

Knowing she needed to get Laurel out of this situation as quickly as possible, Mac said, "You know she's not really much of a shield if bullets are going to be flying. She's much too small, why don't you take me instead?"

Laurel looked at Mac as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Oh sure, she knew that the secret service agents were there to protect her and her family. However, nothing like this had happened before so it had been all just words up to this point. But now, here was someone that she'd treated badly, lied about and tried to keep away from her father, and Mac had hidden her from the bad guys, brought her food, and then, when she'd gotten herself caught because she hadn't listened and had gotten out of the box to go to the bathroom, Mac was still trying to save her! Agent Mackenzie had lied about who she was to protect her, and was now offering to take her place in front of the bad guy so she didn't get shot!

The sounds of the gunshots were coming closer as the man holding Laurel tried to decide what to do. Around the corner came two armed hijackers, running and looking for a way to escape the agents after them. When they came on the unexpected scene in the hall, they froze trying to assess the situation.

Praying that for once the child would listen to her, Mac yelled, "Laurel drop!" She was pleasantly surprised when the little girl did just that. Mac already had her gun drawn by the time Laurel hit the floor, and she unhesitantly put a bullet between the man's eyes, then spun to face the other two men.

As she did, a shot rang out and one man fell to the floor clutching his chest. The other was looking at the President's girlfriend as if she'd grown two heads. He recovered enough to raise his gun toward her, but he wasn't fast enough. Mac pumped two shots into his heart before he could get his gun level.

Seconds later agents came around the same corner led by Rogers. Mac smiled at them and asked for a progress report. It seemed that Air Force One was once again back in the hands of the good guys.

"We figured that you'd like to call the President yourself and let him know all is well…after all you are his…girlfriend!" Rogers smiled at her and said with a laugh.

To be continued…..


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

With a sarcastic smile at Rogers, Mac asked Laurel to go with her to the command center, "Your father will want to speak to you," she added.

The call was put through as soon as they arrived and Vice President Hobart answered.

"I'd like to speak to President Kennex please, this is Agent Sarah Mackenzie."

"I'm here…Agent Mackenzie," Kenneth replied.

"Mr. President, Air Force One is once again in our control and I have someone here that would like to speak to you." Mac nodded at Laurel to go ahead and talk to her father on the speakerphone.

"Hi Daddy!"

"Laurel! Are you alright ,sweetie?"

"Yes Daddy, Agent Mac saved my life! First she hid me from the bad guys and then when I got caught because I had to go potty she pretended I wasn't me and then she shot two of the bad guys right in front of me! So anyway, now its okay with me if you want to date her and it might not even be so bad to have her as a step mom after all!"

In the stunned silence that met this remark a pin could have been heard dropping on either side of the call. Many pairs of eyes stared at both Mac and Kenneth just waiting for one of them to say something.

Finally it was Mac that broke the silence saying, "Laurel, that won't be happening, your father hates…is angry with me for sending the pod off without you."

"That was because I was reacting as a father and you were treating me as the President. I was upset for a moment, but then had to admire what you did. Even though I'd ordered you not to do your duty, you clearly saw that I was reacting emotionally and you did what had to be done. I want to thank you for that Sarah and for keeping Laurel safe in a dangerous situation. You're wrong about me hating you, I wouldn't have chosen this forum normally, but the truth of the matter is that I do love you and with or without my daughter's permission I would be honored if you would consider being my wife. I say consider, because I don't expect an answer now, I would like to set the stage right and ask you over candlelight and roses."

Ignoring the shocked faces around her as well as the child that suddenly seemed happy about what was going on, Mac replied, "Then or now, my answer is the same." She was trying to keep a sob out of her voice even as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

Having heard the catch in Sarah's voice, Kenneth was suddenly worried that maybe he had misread her feelings after all. Blatantly disregarding the very non-private nature of the call, hell they were still on speakerphone, as well as the fact that he had told her he would wait for her answer, Kenneth asked, "And that would be?"

Mac found herself to choked up to respond right away, but Laurel jumped in to help her out, "She can't talk Daddy, she's crying!"

"Crying?!"

"Yeah, but she's smiling too, so I think she's gonna say yes!"

The cheer that went up in the Ward room reminded them all too clearly that this conversation had been anything but private. Kenneth gave his staff a glare and quickly took the call off 'speaker' as Mac did the same on her end. He rushed to say, "Sarah, I do so hope that Laurel is right, but please wait to give me your answer until we are face to face. I know there will be hours of debriefing meetings, but will you have a late dinner with me when they're over?"

"Yes, I most certainly will," she answered almost breathlessly. Then added, "We should be landing in just over an hour, I'll see you soon."

"Yes, soon," he promised and ended the call.

To be continued…..


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

President Kennex didn't meet the plane when it landed, but Mac knew that he wouldn't be able to. There were, however, a horde of reporters there, all vying for any crumbs of a story that they could get. The official stand was 'no comment' and that there would be a press conference at the White House later in the day. That didn't stop the press from taking as many pictures as possible and there was a particularly interesting piece of video of Mac walking hand in hand with Laurel even though her own bodyguard was right there on the scene.

Upon arrival at the White House, Laurel was swept up into the arms of her father who mouthed, "Thank you again," to Mac over Laurel's head as he hugged her tightly. Mac smiled and nodded as she walked passed the tender scene. Once inside, she headed to the Agents locker room where she changed into the spare dark suit she kept there for emergencies. She then spent the next several hours in meetings going over and over again what had happened as well as helping to make arrangements to honor the fallen agents.

Mac had no way of knowing that while she was in the meetings, the press conference had labeled her and Agent Rogers as the heroes of the day. Both their pictures headlined the evening news and were on the front page of every major newspaper in the world.

General Creswell reacted with pride that a Marine had distinguished herself this way.

Retired Admiral Chegwidden called his wife over to the television and as she sat on his lap listening to the story, AJ told her what a very special woman Mac was.

Harm saw the news over breakfast the next morning and reacted with a twinge of jealousy, his new job wasn't nearly as exciting as hers!

Bud and Harriet were also proud of their friend and Harriet added the clipping from the paper to her JAG family scrapbook.

Jason Tiner, who was now in his third year of law school, showed the story to many of his classmates, telling them that Mac was a close personal friend of his, they all laughed disbelievingly.

Clayton Webb sighed when he saw the news and wondered if he hadn't faked his own death that last time if he and Sarah would still be together.

At long last the meetings concluded. The only bright spot during them had been the occasional glimpses of Kenneth as they both moved around the White House fulfilling their duties. Heading to the agents locker room now that she was free, Mac wanted to check out the results of a call she had made during one of her rare breaks. She had called her favorite dress shop and asked them to select four dresses and send them to her. The fact that the White House was the delivery address had them agreeing even though that wasn't something they normally did.

Inspecting the dresses she put two of them aside immediately, they were much too frilly for her tastes and would need to be returned. The other two were much more to her liking. The black one however was much too formal for this occasion, so she turned to the midnight blue velvet. In front the dress was almost demure, with a simple scoop neckline, long sleeves and fitted bodice, the skirt was done in a tulip cut and would be perfect for dancing. The back of the dress was a different matter entirely! There was none! It left her back completely bare to just below the small of her back.

Mac slid the dress on and gave a shiver of delight as the sensuous material caressed her skin. Her dark blue pumps would work with the dress and with just a squirt of perfume from the travel bottle she kept in her purse, she was ready for dinner. Now all she had to do was find Kenneth!

Dialing his private cell phone number, a tingle went down her spine when he answered, "Hello Sarah. Please tell me this call means you're free?"

"Well, I hope after this evening, I won't ever be considered 'free' again, but if you mean am I ready for our dinner, then the answer is 'yes'!"

To be continued…..


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

"I'll meet you in my sitting room in ten minutes then, if that is alright with you?" Kenneth asked.

Mac answered, "It's perfect, see you then."

In actual fact, Kenneth didn't have to move to meet her. He was already in the sitting room. He just needed a few minutes to take care of some last minute preparations. He lit the candles and then turned off all electric lights, he turned on some soft music and was about to pour the wine he'd selected when he remembered…Sarah was a recovering alcoholic! Kenneth frantically called down to the kitchen for them to send up anything non-alcoholic they had on hand. He felt awful for almost making that blunder. Putting away the wine, he wondered if Sarah or the drink would arrive first.

As luck would have it, they met at the door at the same time. Hodge, his guard for the night knocked once on the door then opened it to let Sarah and the waiter in with what looked like a wine bottle in an ice bucket. About to protest, he was stopped when Mac saw the label on the bottle and exclaimed, "Sparkling cider?! Oh Kenneth that's wonderful! Thank you."

"You're welcome Sarah," he told her as he took her hand and led her into the room.

The waiter quickly deposited the ice bucket near the table and left them alone. Once they were the room's only occupants, Kenneth said, "I thought this day would never end, it seemed like a plot to keep us apart."

With a grin she replied, "Maybe it was, but we out-lasted them and now here we are finally alone together."

"Yes we are and if I remember right, there was a question that I needed an answer to. Should I ask you now, or wait until after dinner Sarah?"

"Well, I would vote for now, but if you want to wait, as I told you on the plane, my answer will still be the same, now or then."

"You have to know that as a politician, I have a vested interest in keeping the voters happy. So…" he paused as he went down on one knee before her and taking both her hands in his, asked, "Sarah will you do me the honor of agreeing to be my wife?"

"Yes, Kenneth I will," she told him calmly and clearly. Mac had never been so certain of anything in her life as she was about this decision.

Getting to his feet Kenneth took her in his arms and kissed her tenderly. When the kiss ended he held out her chair and after scooting it up to the table he took his place across from her. "There is so much we need to talk about, but I guess the first would be how long of an engagement do you want?"

"I'd like to say as short as possible, but knowing your schedule as I do, when do you think you'd have time for a wedding?"

"As you say Sarah my love, the sooner we are married the happier I will be. So, how long will it take to organize?"

"Well, if we had a wedding fitting your station in life, about two years, but I think that I could have everything ready before the children are back in school."

"Back in sch…Sarah! That's only three weeks away!"

"Too soon, my love?" she asked with a teasing grin.

"Good heavens no! But do you really think you can plan it that fast?"

"Sure all I need is a dress, and most of the people I want to invite are here in town, all except Sturgis and Harm. Sturgis might be able to get here from San Diego, but I doubt Harm would come all the way from London for a wedding. We could have the ceremony in the Rose Garden and Uncle Joe can give me away…"

"Uncle Joe? I thought your uncle was Matt and he was in prison…I didn't know you had another?"

"Joe is really just an honorary uncle, but I love him dearly."

"Well then, I look forward to meeting him!"

"Oh…you already know him…" she admitted lowering her eyes.

"I do?" he mentally reviewed all the Joe's he knew, but he couldn't place on of them in the role of Sarah's honorary uncle.

"Uncle Joe is Joe Leland."

"Good Lord! No wonder he asked me about you when I got here and here I was thinking he might be an old flame of yours!" Kenneth exclaimed.

To be continued…..


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Uncle Joe? Really?!" Mac squeaked. "I'm going to have to tell him that!"

"Must you?" Kenneth pleaded.

"Oh yes! The look on his face should be priceless!"

"Great! Now he'll assign the greenest agent to be your replacement guarding me!" he gave a mock sigh.

"Replace me!? What do you mean?"

"Sarah, surely you realize that as my fiancée you couldn't also be my bodyguard?"

"Oh, I guess I hadn't really thought that far ahead." After a moments thought she spoke again, "I know Paul Gordon was passed over when I was brought in and he probably shouldn't be again, but on the plane Mike Rogers was so wonderful! He's who I would want to guard you if it can't be me!"

"Gordon is a good agent and you're right that he shouldn't be passed over again. Remember that the only reason he wasn't more help on the plane was because of his broken ankle."

"Yes, I'd forgotten that."

"Plus if you think Rogers is that good and you feel comfortable with him, then he should be your agent."

"My agent? What do I need an agent for?"

"Sarah you're my fiancée and if you can get things done as quickly as you said, in three weeks you'll be my wife, and as such, the First Lady of this country! So you will need your own bodyguards."

"FIRST LADY! Oh my god! How can I be First Lady? Maybe we should just wait until you're out of office to get married!"

"Sarah, I have over two years left on my term and if things are going well, I plan to run for a second. Are you suggesting we wait more than six years?"

She looked fearful for just a moment and then because she couldn't lie to him she said, "No, but I don't think…make that, I KNOW I'm not cut out to be First Lady!"

"Sarah, I know you can handle anything you put your mind to, but this is a part of who I am. I need to know that you'll be comfortable by my side."

"Kenneth, I have no doubts about being your wife. It's only the First Lady business I'm worried about. However, you're right! I fell in love with all of you not just the private man, but the public one too, so while I might not be comfortable in the public role, I will do my best to make you proud of me."

"That's all I can ask Sarah and there will be all the help you need fitting into the role. You'll have a secretary and an aid as well as your own secret service agents."

"There's no way I can talk you out of that is there? Not even given the fact that I am a Marine and just today I was capable of guarding you!?"

"None," he answered firmly. "It's not the fact that you aren't able to guard someone any longer, but the fact that now you will be a target rather than the shield to the target, and there is no way I want anything to happen to you!"

"Do you have any idea how hard it will be to go from being an agent to having one guarding me?"

With a chuckle he replied, "Well all I can hope is that since you have been on the other side and know how difficult the job is, that you won't go running off trying to shake your guard."

"Maybe if I flirt with Mike I can get some extra freedom," she threatened coyly.

"Okay, no Rogers for you! You'll have the oldest, ugliest agents we have!"

"Well at least they will be easy to get away from…during their naps!"

"Sarah!"

"Oh, and did I detect a hint of jealousy in that last threat Mr. President?" she asked, getting up from her chair and going over to his to sit down in his lap.

"More than just a hint my love, you're way too beautiful to be left alone too long with any red-blooded men! I don't know how you stayed single all those years working in that all male environment at JAG!"

"I did come close to marriage a time or two, but in the end there was always something that pulled me back before taking that final step. Something just wasn't right."

"Should I be concerned that you will do the same this time Sarah?" Kenneth asked, the worry clear in his voice.

To be continued…..


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"That's a fair question, but I can honestly tell you that there is no fear or doubt in my heart. I know this is right! I won't fail you or back out my love, you have my word," Mac promised.

"That's good enough for me Sarah," he answered.

"Kenneth, I'd like to have my 'little sister' Chloe in the wedding, do you think Laurel would be willing to be a junior bridesmaid too?"

"After what happened on the plane I'm pretty sure she'll do anything you want her too. How many other attendants do you want?"

"Only one. I'm going to ask Harriett Roberts to be my matron-of-honor."

"Okay, I'll ask James Hobart to be my best man and then I'll need two more…"

"What about the twins?"

"They're only six, they don't stand still very long," he offered.

"I really don't expect it to be a long service, and I'd hate for them to feel left out…"

"You do have a soft spot for those two don't you?"

"Of course I do! They're almost as handsome as their father."

"Speaking of the children, we should tell them our news. Why don't you have breakfast with us and we can tell them together?"

"That's a good idea. They should know before anyone else."

"I'm pretty sure there is a lot of speculation after our open phone call earlier. We should probably hold a press conference in the afternoon tomorrow to announce our plans."

"Alright, I'll call Harriett in the morning and see if she can have lunch with me. I'll ask her and then if I can get a hold of Chaplain Turner to pin him down on a date, we can announce that too."

"Sounds good my love, and as much as I hate to do so, I'd better let you go and get some rest. I'll select a ring for you tomorrow unless you'd like to be with me and choose your own?"

"No, you choose, just make it something simple Kenneth. Nothing to extravagant, please."

"So, something elegant and not too fussy?"

"Yes, please."

Even though they both hated to part that night, they knew the next day would be a full one, so with a few lingering kisses, he reluctantly let her go.

Saturday, July 22, 2003

0800 EST

The White House

Washington, DC

Over breakfast they told the children the news. All three were happy about this development and were excited when told they were all going to be in the wedding.

As soon as breakfast was over, Kenneth ushered Sarah into his sitting room where Joe Leland was waiting for them. Mac looked at the two men and wondered what was going on. She was pleasantly surprised when Kenneth asked Joe, "Sir, since Sarah's father is dead and her uncle is unavailable, I hope that you might be willing to give us your blessing on our engagement?"

Having been in the room during the infamous call, Joe wasn't surprised by the news, but was pleased that Kenneth had asked him for his blessing. "I'd be honored to do so Ken, but you do know that puts you out of a job young lady?" he teased Mac.

"Yes Uncle Joe, I know. Kenneth and I talked about it last night. We think Paul Gordon should take my place and while Kenneth would prefer me to have an old ugly agent guarding me, I'd like to request Mike Rogers for the job."

"I think that's an excellent choice all around and I'll make sure the schedule changes are in place by the press conference this afternoon. I'm guessing that will be when you are making the announcement?"

"Yes that's the plan. However Sarah is going out to lunch today with a friend, do you have someone free to accompany her?" Kenneth requested.

"That's not necessary! Until the announcement, I'm still a nobody!" Mac protested.

"You've never been a nobody! Plus, your picture has been all over the news in regards to the hijacking. I'd like someone with you!"

"Mac I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Ken on this one, you should have a guard. I'll check who's available," Joe said and left the room to do so.

As he walked out Mac grumbled, "Great, two against one!"

To be continued…..


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

"Sarah, I know how this will affect your sense of freedom, I felt the same when I first received my shadows, however, I honestly have to tell you that I never saw myself falling in love with one of them!" As Mac chuckled, Kenneth continued, "But that being said, I also know how devastated I would be if anything were to happen to you because of my job. I want you safe and protected."

Gently reaching out to caress his cheek, Mac told him, "I do understand, because I feel the same way about you and the children. So, while I might not like it, I will go along with having a 'shadow' as you put it."

"Thank you my love."

Mac had just finished cleaning out her locker and was on her way out to put her things in her car.

Kenneth was heading from one meeting to another.

Joe Leland and one of the new agents, who had been sent in to replace the agents killed in the hijacking, were on their way to meet with Mac.

As luck would have it, all four of them were in the same hall at the same time when they encountered each other. Joe stopped Mac and began the introduction. Alerted by his words, Kenneth stopped to assess the man who would be guarding his fiancée. He looked up at the man that was clearly Native American in decent. He was well over six feet tall, Kenneth guessed him somewhere around 6'8" or 6'9". He was around forty years old with thick black hair and equally black eyes. The man was simply huge! But there didn't appear to be a spare ounce of flesh on him anywhere. This man would be spending as much time with Sarah as he would, and some days more so! He was much too handsome for Kenneth's peace of mind! Kenneth was going to have to have a talk with Joe Leland!

"Mac, this is Blake Darkhorse, he's one of our new transfers and I will be assigning him and Mike Rogers as your primary agents." Joe turned to Kenneth whom he'd seen stop to listen to the introduction. "Mr. President this is…"

Kenneth interrupted to say, "Yes, I heard. How long have you been an agent Mr. Darkhorse?"

"Three years now Sir," Blake replied.

"And before that?"

Joe answered for him, "Blake was a Navy SEAL, but when he gained full custody of his daughter, he wanted a home base for her."

Mac smiled at Blake and asked, "I don't suppose you know Admiral Chegwidden? He was my CO at JAG, but was a SEAL before that."

"I served under Commander Chegwidden on the USS Farragut, it was my first billet. He was an impressive man!"

"He still is!" Mac chuckled. "Did you know he recently got married?"

"I had heard that, it was just after his retirement, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was. She's a lovely lady with a little boy. They seem very happy."

"I'm please to hear that. Now may I ask what time and where you're going to lunch?"

Before Mac could answer, they were interrupted. "Mr. President!" his press secretary called out, hurrying up to the group in the hall. "You are due in a meeting Sir!"

With a sigh Kenneth excused himself and left with the frantic little man.

As she watched him head off down the hall, Mac turned to Blake and answered his question, "I need to deliver this stuff from my locker to my car and then we can head out to Callisto's. My friend Harriett will be meeting me there."

"Then shall we go?" Blake motioned for her to lead the way.

"Okay, have fun you two," Joe grinned at them as they headed off. He knew Mac would need someone that she could respect to be guarding her so many hours of the day and felt that Darkhorse and Rogers were good choices.

Normally a gentleman would have offered to carry the garment bag and small duffle Mac was taking to her car, but Blake needed his hands free to be able to protect her in case there was a threat to her life. When they got to the parking lot Mac stowed her things in the trunk while Blake stared at her car.

To be continued…..


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Mac saw the look on his face and trying to suppress a grin, she asked, "Is there a problem Agent Darkhorse?"

"Just trying to figure out if it will be easier to wrap my legs around my ears, or to just leave them here."

Her free-spirited laughter floated towards the open window of the oval office and Kenneth spun around from his desk to search for Sarah. He spotted her and Agent Darkhorse by her car and wondered what her guard had said that got her laughing like that.

"Maybe you could hang them out the window?" she suggested between gasps for air.

"Very funny Ma'am!" Blake grumbled good-naturedly. "All I can say is, I'll be glad when your engagement is official and you are assigned a driver with a 'normal' sized car!"

In the process of getting into the car, Mac froze and said, "Huh?"

Looking at her confused expression, Blake asked, "You didn't think the first fiancée would be able to tool around in her cherry-red glove compartment on wheels, did you?"

"I guess I hadn't thought about it," she muttered and finished getting into her Vette. Even though she wasn't happy with the thought of being chauffeured around everywhere, she couldn't help but laugh 'til tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched Blake trying to get into the tiny sports car.

"It's NOT funny Ma'am!" he grumbled as he at last managed to pull the door closed. "If I had to react swiftly to save your life, I wouldn't be able to do it!"

"Then we'll just have to hope that it won't happen," she gasped out as she started the car.

"Darkhorse leaving for lunch at Callisto's with Flicka," Blake said as he pressed the button on his ear piece to alert the control center where they were going.

Mac was just about to back out of her parking space when he did this and she turned an angry glare at him, "WHAT did you just refer to me as?!" she demanded.

"Your code name is Flicka. Paul Gordon suggested it because the President is Stallion. Several names were kicked around, I personally voted for Jarhead, but they thought that was to obvious, Rogers wanted Devil Dog, saying that if the two of you have a baby, it could be called Devil Puppy."

"There won't be any baby! However, I will NOT be called FLICKA either!" she insisted.

"Well I'm sure we can come up with something that you'd be okay with Ma'am," he answered.

Mac sighed, still upset, but knowing that if they didn't get going she'd be late for her lunch date with Harriett. As she drove the Vette towards the restaurant she told him, "You know we're going to be spending a lot of time together over the next two years, I'd feel more comfortable if you'd call me Mac."

Thinking that over for a few moments, Blake remembered the look of suspicion on the President's face and thought better of it, so he suggested, "Maybe when we're alone like this, Mac would be okay, but in front of others, I think I should stick to Ma'am."

"That's fair," Mac responded, thinking he meant in social situations and such, having no idea that he'd seen the jealousy in Kenneth's eyes when they'd met.

At the restaurant it was just as funny watching him get out of the car as it had been watching him get in even though she was still fuming over the codename incident.

They entered the building with Blake slightly in the lead and as the hostess inquired, "How many?" he quickly assessed all the possible threats in the dining room.

He told the hostess that there would be two for lunch and then pointed to the out of the way table he felt would be the safest for Mac. Holding out her chair, he took up his position slightly to the left behind her. With his hands clasped in front of him, his feet shoulder width apart, the earpiece he was wearing, and the dark sunglasses hanging from his breast pocket, he looked to all the world to be exactly what he was. People in the dining room began to take note of this strange situation and started to speculate on just who Mac might be.

She had just started to notice the whispered comments about her when she saw Harriett enter the building. Standing and waving her over to the table, she saw the moment Harriett spotted Blake. Harriett's eyes went up and up as she took in the handsome man standing behind her friend, then her eyes flashed back to Mac where she saw something she'd never seen before.

"Oh Mac, you're in love!" Harriett exclaimed as the two of them hugged.

To be continued…..


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

"Yes and the reason I asked you here to lunch today was to tell you I'm getting married!" Mac told her.

"Oh that's wonderful!" Harriett gasped as she stepped away from Mac. She took a step forward and enthusiastically wrapped her arms around Blake's waist and gave him a fierce hug too. "I'm so happy for you both! Let's sit down and you can tell me all about it!" She took a seat across from Mac as Blake just stood there. Harriett was surprised when he remained standing instead of joining them at the table.

Mac was trying not to laugh at her friend's confusion as she started her explanation. "Harriett, I'm not marrying Blake, he's the secret service agent that has been assigned to me."

Trying to cover her embarrassment at having hugged a complete stranger that wasn't going to marry her best friend after all, Harriet protested, "Why in the world would you need a secret service agent? I thought you were one?"

"I was until last night," Mac offered.

"What happened last night?"

"Well, Kenneth asked me to marry him."

"Kenneth? KENNETH KENNEX!? As in the President of the United States, that KENNETH KENNEX!?" her voice kept rising and Mac saw what was coming before her friend could finish her next sentence. "Do you meant to tell me that you're engage…"

Mac had to do it, there was no other way. She placed her hand over Harriett's mouth to stop her from revealing to the entire restaurant what was supposed to be a secret until that afternoon at the press conference. "Yes!" she told her friend. "But it has to stay a secret until the official announcement this afternoon," Mac added removing her hand.

"Oh wow!" Harriett said in a loud whisper.

"Yeah, that's just how I felt when it happened. I'm hoping that you'll be my matron-of-honor Harriett."

"Oh! Nothing would stop me! This is SO exciting! Just think, you'll be the First Lady!"

"That's the only thing I'm afraid of, but Kenneth thinks I can handle it."

"Oh I'm sure you can! I saw some of the things that you handled at JAG when we were there together. So, when's the wedding going to be?"

"We're hoping to get it all arranged before the children go back to school."

"Mac that's only three WEEKS away!" Harriett screeched.

"Shhhh!" Mac shushed her cheerfully.

Harriett giggled and apologized, "Sorry Mac, but this is all just so fantastic! I mean just think, Little AJ's godmother is going to be the First Lady!"

Mac grinned; at least that last comment had been delivered in a quieter tone of voice. "And just think what it will mean when we have you and Bud over for dinner!" she teased her friend.

"Oh wow! I'll have to go shopping! I don't have anything to wear to dinner at the White House!"

"Harriett it'll just be with me, Kenneth, and the children! You could wear jeans and a T-shirt!"

"As if I would!" Harriett looked appalled at the very suggestion.

"But speaking of shopping, if you could get a sitter for the children, I'd love it if you could go dress shopping with me."

"Oh cool! Will Mr. Hunk be going with us?" she asked the last part in a whisper as she leaned forward across the table.

Smiling Mac replied, "Yes either him or Mike Rogers…and before you ask, yes, he's good looking too!"

"Wow, Kenneth must really be secure to let you be running around with so many good looking men!"

"Actually he has been acting a bit jealous and I'm concerned about that. I just don't know what to do to convince him that there's no need to be."

"Well, it's early days for you guys yet and you haven't really known each other very long. But with things moving as fast as they are, there really isn't time for him to learn to trust in you. I would just talk to him honestly about it. You don't want to go into a marriage that way."

"Thanks Harriett, I knew I could count on you to give me good advice."

"Anytime Mac, I want to see you as happy as you deserve."

The waiter arrived to take their order and left to turn it in to the kitchen. While the two were waiting for their meals to arrive, Blake had a check in from the command center. He replied, "Flicka is still at lunch with her friend."

To be continued…..


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Overhearing this, Mac threw him an angry glance; this caused Harriett to inquire what was going on. Mac replied, "They have given me a code name that I hate!"

"Ohhhh…dare I ask what it is?" Harriett asked, her eyes widening in speculation.

"I'd really rather NOT say," Mac grumbled.

"Oh come on Mac! You can trust me not to tell!"

Mac sighed and said, "Because Kenneth is known as Stallion, they are calling me Flicka."

Harriett couldn't control herself, she burst out laughing. "Eeek, that is worse than I thought! You can always demand that they change it can't you?"

"Yes, and I am going to as soon as I get back. The only problem is that unless I come up with something, whatever they come up with could be just as bad."

"Well let's think of something together!" Harriett suggested.

"Okay, like what?"

"Well you were a Marine…maybe something to do with that?" she offered.

"They already vetoed Jarhead and Devil Dog," Mac told her.

Harriett tried not to giggle again at those suggestions. "Well how about something that would suit your personality? Ohhhh I had a dream once that you were Xena Warrior Princess and I was your sidekick Gabrielle. Maybe you could be Xena?"

Behind the two of them they heard Blake snicker. Mac turned to glare at him and demanded, "What?"

"Warrior Princess…I like that! It suits you!" he told her trying to keep a straight face as he thought of the other agents having to call her that.

"Actually I don't mind that at all!" Mac answered. Maybe if they called her that often enough they would remember not to mess with her!

Harriett was pleased that her suggestion was being taken to heart and couldn't wait to tell Bud that she had come up with the code name for the new First Lady. However knowing Bud like she did, he would ask why she hadn't come up with something Star Trek related.

The two of them finished lunch chatting happily about wedding plans and setting up a time and date to go shopping for their dresses. Even with Mac's excellent time sense the minutes had just seemed to melt away and before she wanted to leave it was time she had to go, or she'd not be back in time for the press conference.

As soon as Mac and Blake left, Harriett picked up her cell phone and called her husband. She told him that there was no way he could miss the announcement on ZNN. He tried to pry out of her what was happening, but she wouldn't say. When the call ended she next dialed the Admiral's number. It was still hard to get used to calling him AJ, but when he came on the line she quickly explained her reason for calling, assuring him that he would hate himself if he missed the ZNN coverage of the White House press conference.

AJ promised he would watch and Harriett hurried home so she could see it herself.

Kenneth's press secretary introduced him, saying that he would make a brief announcement and then answer questions afterwards. Mac stood on the sidelines trying not to let her nervousness show. She was wearing an off white silk suit that she had bought years ago while working for Dalton's law firm. Having only worn it once, it still looked brand new. She had teamed it with a coral silk blouse that complemented her dark coloring.

Stepping up to the podium, Kenneth stated, "In two weeks time there will be a wedding in the Rose Garden." He only paused for the shortest of breaths, but the reporters jumped on even that tiny break and began shouting out questions. He held up both hands and wouldn't say anything until the room quieted. When the questions at last stopped and everyone was waiting for the President to continue, Kenneth turned and held out his hand to Sarah. She took it and joined him next to the podium. Putting his arm around her waist he began to speak again, "I have asked Sarah Mackenzie to do me the honor of becoming my wife and she has graciously agreed. I'm sure there will be questions and we will answer as many as we can," Kenneth informed them keeping his arm around Mac.

To be continued…..


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

Pointing to a female reporter in the front row, Kenneth asked, "Would you like to start us off Ms. Jansen?"

The woman stood and directed her question to Mac; "Ms. Mackenzie isn't it true that for the last several weeks you have been a Secret Service Agent assigned to guard the President?"

"Yes, that is true," Mac answered offering no more, which caused Kenneth to attempt to hide a smile.

Ms. Jansen tried to ask a follow up question, but Mac had pointed to a gentleman in the back row. "Jeremy Carter from the Daily News Ms. Mackenzie. Tells us how this romance came about."

"The usual way Mr. Carter. We spent time together talking and getting to know each other then we realized that there was a mutual attraction growing between us. During the hijacking we discovered how deeply those feelings ran and when we did, Kenneth proposed."

An older woman in the second row shouted out the next question almost before Mac had finished her answer, "How is an ex-Marine going to handle being First Lady of this country?"

"I have thought about that very question, and although there are no beaches to storm in my new position, I am under the impression that my combat training will come in very handy when dealing with the press."

There was a moment of silence and then as someone in the back of the room started to chuckle Kenneth grinned at Mac saying, "I have found that to be true on many occasions!" The room erupted at that easing the tension a bit and Kenneth pointed to another reporter.

"How are your children taking the news Mr. President and are there any plans for more children in the future?"

"The children are pleased with our plans and excited that they are going to be in the wedding. As for future children, we have no plans at this time."

"So Ms. Mackenzie isn't pregnant?" a voice from the back demanded.

Mac serenely replied, "When we have our family photo taken in front of the Christmas tree in a few months I'll be sure to stand in profile."

"Ms. Mackenzie, how are you going to arrange a state wedding in just two weeks time?"

"Because we want to be married before the children are back in school and with the President's incredibly busy schedule the wedding is going to be a small private affair with just a few close friends there."

"Is that because you have something to hide?"

Kenneth fielded the question with a calm heartfelt answer, "No, Ms. Jansen, it's because a wedding is about love and closeness. That is why we are choosing our guests carefully. There will be a photo op after the ceremony, but we don't want our wedding turned into a media circus."

Several hands were still in the air indicating there were more questions to be asked, but Kenneth felt that Sarah had been put through enough. With a smile he told them, "That's all we have time for now, but I'm sure in the days ahead there will be ample time for more questions. Thank you all for coming." He guided Mac off the stage and through the door one of the Secret Service agents was holding open.

Bud stood in the center of the bullpen watching the press conference with the rest of the staff. The only one other than him from the old days was Jen Coates and she was standing right next to him in open-mouth wonder. Lieutenant Vukovic, who had so actively pursued Colonel Mackenzie during her final days at JAG stood on Bud's other side and muttered, "Well, it's no wonder why she wouldn't date me, she had her sights set much higher!"

Angry at the slight to his friend, Lieutenant Commander Roberts turned to him and said, "Colonel Mackenzie hadn't met the President then, I'm pretty sure the reason she wouldn't date you was that she had better taste than that!" Bud walked off as General Creswell called out for PO Coates to come into his office.

Jen quickly hurried off, trying to suppress a grin at the look on Vukovic's face. Once out of his sight she could no longer rein in her smile and entered the General's office almost laughing.

"Something funny Petty Officer?" Creswell asked.

"Just something Mr. Roberts said Sir."

"I see, yes he is amusing. I assume you saw the ZNN report about Col…Ms. Mackenzie?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Well, I want you to send her a bouquet…"

To be continued…..


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"Of flowers to congratulate her, from the staff here?" Jen interrupted.

With a sigh, Creswell demanded, "Petty Officer, did you ever let Admiral Chegwidden finish his own sentences?"

Blushing, Jen replied, "Sometimes Sir, and he did warn me to let you do so too, I just have a tendency to forget. Sorry Sir!"

With a rueful grin, he said, "Dismissed Petty Officer."

"Yes Sir!"

Luna Chegwidden looked at her husband from her place on his lap and smiled at his stunned expression. "It looks like your former Chief of Staff has done rather well for herself, AJ my love."

"It's no more than she deserves, darling. Mac is a fine woman who has been through much in her life. I'm glad to see she had found happiness at last."

"But you still look surprised."

"I suppose that I am. Even though Commander Rabb went off to London without Mac, I always thought that those two would get together. I assumed they'd had a fight or he was just going to get things established before she joined him. When she left JAG, I was amazed and now this!" he shook his head in wonder at how life could truly surprise him even at this point.

"So, do you think as her former boss you'll be getting an invitation to the wedding?" Luna asked with a bit of trepidation in her voice. Even though she had made great strides in appearing in public with her scars, a wedding at the White House was another story all together, even if it was to be a private ceremony!

"Oh I doubt it," he said, much to his wife's relief. "If it is to be a small ceremony, I doubt she'll be inviting former co-workers."

However AJ was wrong in that assumption, as he found out when his phone rang an hour later.

Kenneth led Mac into his sitting room and once they were alone told her, "I have just over half an hour until my next meeting."

"I know, I thought the conference was supposed to go longer. Why did you end it early?"

"I thought that you had been through enough of their less than kind questions."

"Thank you for that, but things will be worse once they've had a chance to check into my history Kenneth."

"Whatever comes we will face it together."

"No, I don't think that's such a good idea. If I'm never questioned on my own, it will look like I'm hiding behind you. In fact I think I should give an interview and I know just who I'll call for it!"

"Sarah, are you sure about this?"

"Yes, Kenneth. I need to know that you trust my judgment on this, and while we're on the subject of trust, why have you been reacting so badly to the agents Uncle Joe has assigned to me? When have I ever given you any reason to think I would look at them twice? Has it been the teasing remarks I've made? Surely you know I was kidding!"

With a sigh, he sat down and indicated he wanted her to join him on the couch. When she did so he told her, "This is something that I have never told anyone before, but I don't want there to be any secrets between us."

"This story goes back a ways, so I hope that you'll bear with me. When Laurel was in first grade there was an outbreak of mumps in her school and she brought it home. During those days, as Governor, I was spending more time at the Capitol than at home, I'm not proud of that fact, but it was just the way it was. As luck would have it though I came home that week and was exposed. I was back at the Capitol before the symptoms hit. Donna was home dealing with three sick children and I didn't want to make it any harder on her."

Kenneth paused in his story and took both of Mac's hands in his before he continued, "Mumps in a grown man can have serious side effects. My doctor ran tests as I was recovering and delivered the news, I was sterile. Sarah, I'm ashamed to admit this but I felt emasculated. I couldn't bring myself to tell Donna, but later in that year when we were having a talk about more children, I also couldn't let her continue to take birth control pills when I knew it wasn't necessary. So I told her to go off the pill and we would leave it up to fate."

He stopped his story to look into her eyes, something he'd been avoiding since telling her he was sterile, but he needed to know how she was handling all this since she hadn't said anything.

To be continued…..


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Mac gave Kenneth's hands a squeeze and nodded for him to go on. With a slight smile he did, "During the next two years she was sick on and off, but we had no idea what it was. Her doctor ran the usual tests, but couldn't find anything. Then she started having stomach pains, after more tests and lots of X-rays, they decided that they needed to exploratory surgery. They took one look and closed her up. There was no hope. The cancer was invasive. Her doctor gave her a few weeks to a couple of months and then he apologized to me that the trauma of the surgery had caused her to miscarry."

At Mac's gasp Kenneth stopped and saw the same thoughts in her eyes that had been in his all those years ago. "Yes," he told her, "Either the sterility had reversed itself or the child wasn't mine. I had to know, so I had my doctor run a test. When the results came back, I had not one problem, but two to deal with. In the end, because the prognosis for her was so short, I made some hard choices. I insisted that her doctor not tell her about the pregnancy, with the fact that she had so little time left, it didn't seem necessary for her to have to deal with that too. Because of that choice I also didn't have to confront her with her infidelity. What would the point have been then? We needed to be strong for the children and I wouldn't have left her to die alone like that in any case. Part of the blame had to be mine too. I was away so much that she turned to someone else. In the end, none of it mattered really, I still loved Donna, no matter what she had done, and I grieved when she died."

Once again he paused to gather his thoughts before going on, he still needed explain how what he had just told her tied in to her question about why he had been acting so jealous lately. "Sarah, I guess I didn't realize until you pointed it out that what had happened with Donna is still affecting me in a way. It's not that I don't trust you, I guess I just haven't really dealt with all the pent up feelings of betrayal that I had when I found out about what she had done. I hope that you can forgive me and I promise to try and put these feelings behind me."

"Kenneth, I want to be here for you and help you in any way I can. If you ever need to talk, please know that I will always be willing to listen!" Mac gently told him.

"That is what is so special about you! I tell you how badly I behaved and all you want to do is help me to feel better!" he sighed as he wondered how he had gotten so lucky to have such a special woman fall in love with him.

"You didn't behave badly! What you did was understandable and in light of what Donna was going through even admirable. You hid your own feelings to help her through her last days and make them special. I admire you for that! She was a lucky woman to have someone like you!"

"Oh Sarah!" he hugged her close, "Thank you! Your acceptance means more to me than you know."

"It's not acceptance silly, it's love!" she told him hugging him back.

Their lips met in a tender kiss just as there was a knock on the door.

"I'm sorry Mr. President, but your meeting with the foreign minister is due to start in five minutes," his press secretary said after being admitted to the room.

"Thank you, I'll be right there," Kenneth told her and after giving Mac a brief kiss on the cheek and promising to see her for dinner he hurried out of the room.

Mac knew that she was going to have to find the time soon to tell him about the endometrioses and the fact that it was very unlikely that she could ever have given him any more children anyway. She just hoped that they could be happy raising the three that he had already. But now she needed to give herself a pep talk about what was to come. She headed down the hall to meet her fate. Her first meeting with her secretary and personal assistant was on the horizon.

To be continued…..


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

With Blake following behind her, Mac met with the two women in her new secretary's office. She shook hands with Ms. Abigail Strat and mentally nicknamed her The Dragon Lady. The woman was built like a prison matron, tall and stout, with her hair in an iron gray bun and orthopedic shoes. The horn-rimmed glasses did nothing to hide what Mac assumed was a permanent sour expression on her very plain face. Mac found herself thinking that this is what she pictured Lauren Singer's mother looking like!

Then, as a study in contrasts, Megan Pratt was younger than Mac with an ear-splitting grin, twinkling green eyes and blond hair cut in the latest style. She was petite and perky. Megan explained that she had been the assistant to the previous First Lady's PA, but that when President Kennex took office without a First Lady, Mrs. Crenshaw had taken another job. The young woman promised to do her best for Mac if she would only give her the chance.

Mac liked her immediately and assured Megan that they would get along fine.

Ms. Strat, tired of not being spoken to, opened the door to Mac's new office and asked if she would like to see it. As Mac entered the highly feminine room decorated in pink and lace, Ms. Strat was saying, "The last First Lady added her personal touch to the room with the doilies and the lace sheers on the windows."

The fearless-in-the-face-of-gunfire Marine almost turned and ran from the room! The office was a Barbie dream come true and Mac knew she would never be able to get any work done there.

Mac turned to Ms. Strat and asked, "So, the First Lady is allowed to make her own personal stamp on the office?"

"Oh yes Ms. Mackenzie, it is even encouraged! As your own personal assistant, Ms. Pratt, will be the one to make sure anything you want done is carried out. I, of course, see to your schedule and personal appearances. If you will give me the name of your hair dresser and your favorite designer, I will see that appointments are set up for fittings and such."

"Well, I usually go to Costcutters in the mall and the last couple of times I saw Su Lin and liked what she did for me. As for a designer, I need to make a call, but I think I know who I want."

Ms. Strat made notes as Mac talked and she was sure the woman gave a derisive snort at the mention of Costcutters. Because of that, Mac was a bit abrupt when she said, "That will be all for now Ms. Strat. Megan and I need to go over the changes I want to make in the office so they can be finished before the wedding."

Once the two younger women were alone Mac said, "Before we get started Megan, let me make a quick call about the designer I was talking about."

Megan nodded and dug out pen and paper so she could take notes of what Ms. Mackenzie wanted done to the office.

"Chegwidden," AJ answered the phone out of habit.

"Hello Admiral, it's Mac…"

"It's only 'Mac' if it's 'AJ', Ms. Future First Lady."

"Oh! You saw the news then?"

"Yes we did. I'd like to offer you Luna and my congratulations."

"Thank you Si…AJ. I do hope that you, Luna and Shawn will be able to come to the wedding. Shawn and Kenneth's twins are the same age and I bet they'd get along famously."

"We'd be honored to attend Mac. I'm sure Luna will love an excuse to buy a new dress."

Mac chuckled along with him and then admitted, "I did have another reason for calling Si…AJ. I wondered if I could get your daughter's phone number from you? I'm supposed to choose a dress designer for formal occasions and she's the only one I know!"

"Well I'm sure that she'll be pleased to hear from you. Here's her number..."

After that they chatted for another minute or two and then Mac had to go. Saying good-bye, they promised to catch up at the wedding.

To be continued…..


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

Turning back to Megan, Mac began making plans like she was waging a military campaign. "The pink has got to go! I'm thinking something in honey or caramel for the walls. The cream carpeting and lace sheers can stay, but I'll want darker drapes than the pink satin. The Queen Anne furniture needs to go too, I'll want something plainer, more streamline. I think a blonde wood finish would be perfect. The loveseats can go, I'll want a real couch and a couple of over-stuffed chairs, and please make sure the doilies disappear! I'll need a desk big enough for a computer and fax machine. That's all I can think of right now, but it should be enough to get started on."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll have paint samples for you by tomorrow to choose the wall color and can call an interior designer for the curtains," Megan replied, scribbling quickly.

"Sounds good!" Mac answered and dismissed the girl. She was just about to escape the cotton candy room when her phone rang. She was surprised to hear her former partner's voice on the line.

"Mac, what the heck gives? First you leave JAG and now you're engaged to the President of the United States?"

"Hello and how are you too Harm…" she rebuked.

"Yeah, okay! Hello Mac…How are you Mac?"

"Why hello Harm! How nice to hear from you! I'm just fine and yourself?"

"Fine…fine…now what about the news I just heard?"

With an evil grin, Mac decided to let him stew a little longer. "Good to hear you're doing well, are you liking the new job? And how is Mattie doing? Is she settling in well?"

"Come on Mac! Everything is fine here! Same old job, just as boring as ever, the only thing different is the scenery out the window. Mattie is fine too, I'll tell her you asked after her. Now what is this craziness about you marrying the President?!"

"Nothing crazy about it, Fly-boy. Kenneth and I are engaged and will be married in two weeks. You and Mattie are invited if you can get away from your boring job."

"To see you finally walk down an aisle? I wouldn't miss that for the world! Is there a pool going yet on whether you'll go through with it?"

Yanking the phone away from her ear and glaring at it as if it was the thing that had just insulted her, she deliberately clicked it closed, ending the call. She stomped from the room with Blake on her heels and dialed Francesca Paretti's number as she made her way to the parking lot.

Mac was surprised when her call was put through so quickly by Francesca's assistant, but the reason became apparent when Francesca herself came on the line. "Hello Ms. Mackenzie! I just spoke to Papa and he said you would be calling."

"I hope that I'm not disturbing you Ms. Paretti, but when it was suggested that I need to choose a dress designer, your name was the only one that came to mind."

"No, not at all! I am thrilled that you thought of me! What is it that I can do for you?"

"Honestly I don't know anything about high fashion. The only two designer gowns I've ever worn were purchased for me by someone else. What I'm trying to say is, I don't know if you would have time to do a wedding dress for a ceremony only two weeks away or should I just contact you when I know a function is coming up?"

"Two weeks would usually be out of the question…however I love designing wedding gowns, but can only feature two a year so, I have many sketches that have never been made. Plus the honor and prestige of designing for the First Lady will do wonders for my career. Now I am sure you are insanely busy planning the wedding, but if you can clear some time on Tuesday, I can fly in to go over the sketches with you."

"Oh Ms. Paretti, that would be fantastic!"

"Please call me Francesca, and may I call you Sarah?"

"That would be fine, Francesca, and I'd be more than happy to meet with you on Tuesday."

"I think we will be come good friends Sarah…in fact there was a time I had hoped that we would be related!"

To be continued…..


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

"Related? How so?" Mac asked.

Francesca answered her, "I hoped that you and Papa would get together."

"Oh Francesca, that could never have happened! AJ…your father was my Commanding Officer and there were regulations preventing anything like that from happening."

"Nonsense! The heart doesn't listen to regulations! And I know there was a time the two of you were attracted to each other."

Mac wondered if AJ had told his daughter about that almost kiss in his bedroom. No, he wouldn't have done something like that! Especially after the speech he'd given her in his office the next day. So then what could Francesca be basing her guess on? Hoping to get off the delicate subject, Mac said, "Well, he is happily married to a very sweet woman and I am about to marry a man I love very much, so it's for the best that things turned out the way they did."

"Yes, you are probably correct. Still, as much as I like sweet gentle Luna, I honestly believe he could have been just as happy married to a kick butt Marine!"

Laughing, Mac told her, "The term is kick-ass Marine, and your father and I are much too stubborn to be together, we would always be fighting to be the one on top!"

Mac immediately knew she had said something very wrong. The stunned silence on Francesca's end of the phone as well as the look on Blake's face would have told her that even if her mind hadn't already been screaming in protest. Oh sure, she'd had fantasies about AJ during her days at JAG, he was after all a very handsome man, and those fantasies had been fueled by a few very emotionally charged incidents over the years, the most earth-shaking one had been that almost kiss. But she hadn't thought about those things in years! She'd been dating Clay and AJ had been engaged to Meredith. Both of them had finally been getting on with their lives, then his engagement had ended and she'd truly been sorry, but there had been no thought of going after him for herself, even if she had ended things with Clay. When he married Luna, she'd really been happy for him and now she was engaged to a wonderful man. What had possessed her to say what she had?

All those thoughts had raced through her mind in the space of a few heartbeats, just long enough for Francesca to recover and say, "But who is to say that even if you lost that argument, you would come away the loser?!"

Mac gave a relieved chuckle and told Francesca to let her know when she would be arriving on Tuesday and a car would be sent for her.

"If I can arrange it I will fly in Monday evening and spend the night at Papa's. Could you have the car pick me up there?"

"That shouldn't be a problem, just let me know what time."

"Well, we will need to go over the sketches, I will need to make any changes you want, then I'll need to take a complete set of measurements, so we should probably start first thing in the morning! Have the car pick me up at 9AM."

Hardly able to keep from laughing out loud at Francesca's idea of the 'first thing in the morning' she agreed to do so and ended the call.

The end of the incident wasn't over yet; she still needed to face Blake. Turning to face him she said with a glare, "Okay, get it off your chest!"

"There's no problem Ma'am, I was informed that agents often had to keep those kinds of secrets. President's having affairs and their wives as well."

"Well you can be damn sure that is never going to happen with Kenneth or I! My few stray thoughts along those lines about Admiral Chegwidden were over years ago and only brought to mind when his daughter said that she thought he and I would end up together. I love Kenneth and would NEVER cheat on him! Have you got that?"

To be continued…..


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"Yes Ma'am!" Blake assured Mac.

"Good!" she stated and started towards her car, when she felt Blake's hand on her arm. "What?!" she demanded.

"Sorry Ma'am, but now the engagement has been announced, you need a driver and more agents if you're going out."

"That's ridiculous! I'm just going to run over to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things."

"Nonetheless, by Mr. Leland's orders you are now under full protection just as if you were already First Lady." Blake ignored her further protests as he said into his communicator, "The Warrior Princess needs a car brought around to the south door as well as three more agents."

Mac had stopped her argument when she'd heard him refer to her as the Warrior Princess. Grinning, she knew that she would have to tell Harriett that the name she'd come up with had stuck.

The car arrived in a few minutes with the additional guards, Mac barely had time to wonder how this group would look trooping into a busy store on a Saturday afternoon before they were on the way. She took the trip to plan out what she needed and the fastest way to get everything and get out again.

When the car pulled up at the store the four agents flanked her. She felt like the center dot on the fifth side of a dice. Taking the cart the greeter offered her, she frowned as the agents walked so closely in front of her that she had a hard time maneuvering the cart.

She breezed through electronics checking out the latest video releases and picked up one she thought the children would like. On her way to housewares, she had to pass the fabric department and there on the $1 a yard table something caught her eye. Making an abrupt turn to take a look, she had Blake and Mike Rogers taking a quick U-turn to get back in front of her. She gave a cheeky grin in answer to their frowns. What had caught her eye had been a coffee colored silk material with geometric patterns in metallic gold on it.

Mac couldn't tell if the clerk that hurried over to help her was bored, or figured Mac was someone important, or just wanted to get a better look at the four handsome men with her. "Hi, I'm Cindy! Can I help you?"

"I was just looking at this material. There seems to be a lot of it."

"Yeah, two and a half bolts. We had it in black and purple too, but the brown hardly sold at all."

"I'll take it all," Mac told her pulling the bolts out.

"But there has to be over fifty yards there! Each bolt holds twenty and there is more than half left on the third one!" Cindy protested.

"I have some large windows and this will make great curtains."

"Okay I guess." Cindy sighed at the odd situation. The woman was with four big guys who hadn't said a word and just stood there watching as Mac pulled out the bolts of fabric by herself. As Cindy measured out the fabric, she asked Mac in a loud whisper, "What's with the guys?"

With a grin, Mac leaned across the counter and whispered back, "I'm going to marry the President of the United States and they are my body guards!"

Cindy giggled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah right!" she exclaimed, and then added, "Not that I wouldn't 'do him' too! He is hunky even if he is into all that politics and stuff."

Mac watched as all four of the secret service agents tried to keep from laughing while she herself didn't know whether to be amused or affronted. She decided it was just too funny and told Cindy, "I'll tell him you said so."

"Oh gosh! You're serious!? Wow, oh, wow! How cool!" This sale had certainly been the highlight of her week.

Quickly finishing her other shopping, Mac paid for her purchases and then they were on their way to her apartment to drop off her groceries.

They pulled up to find a dozen or more reporters camped on the street in front of her building. Mac saw Mr. Greenaway being ambushed with questions as he tried to leave to walk his little dog Snoodles. Mike was starting to ask the driver to go around to the back when Mac climbed over him and reached for the door.

To be continued…..


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"Where do you think you're going?" Mike demanded grabbing Mac around the waist to stop her.

"To save Mr. Greenaway and Snoodles!" she informed him. "Now let me go!"

With a sigh, he opened the car door and her agents got out to surround her as she made her way through the crowd. When she got to the little old man's side he looked up at her gratefully. "You can go now Mr. G.," she told him and waited until he was safely away before turning back to the hungry mob.

"Ms. Mackenzie, tell us what a person with your background is doing engaged to the President of the United States?" one reporter demanded shoving a mike at her.

"Well I'm certainly not going around hassling sweet elderly men!" she snapped.

The reporter wasn't happy with that answer so tried again to goad Mac into some juicy information. "Does the President know you killed your last husband and that your only fiancé since then disappeared in Australia after breaking off the engagement?"

"The President knows my complete history and did so before we became engaged," Mac assured the man.

"How do you think you will be able to function as First Lady with a history like yours?" someone else asked.

"As well as I functioned as the Chief of Staff of the Judge Advocate General."

"Didn't your 'partner' take off for London at the same time you left that job? Isn't there a worrisome pattern there Ms. Mackenzie?"

"People in the military are transferred all the time. Harm, Captain Harmon Rabb, was my friend and partner for eight years at JAG, he was promoted and transferred to London at the same time I was offered a promotion and a transfer to San Diego. I chose not to take it, wanting to stay in the area."

"Was that because you were already seeing the President in secret?"

Mac sighed and shook her head. She could see the looks on her guards' faces, two of them thought the same. Blake wasn't sure what to believe especially after what he'd heard earlier that day, but on the other hand, Mike was offended on her behalf. She could see that he wanted to speak up and defend her, which made her feel warm all over. "I met President Kennex the day I became a Secret Service Agent, he made a bet with me that I couldn't change clothes as fast as I said I could and my future job was what was on the line. Suffice to say I won the bet!"

"So the only way you got the job to guard the President was because you could change clothes fast?" one woman gasped.

"No, I got the job because I could protect him with my life as any agent is required to do," she answered firmly.

"So what qualifies you to be the First Lady of this country?"

"Kenneth asked me to be his wife because he loves me. Being the First Lady of this country is actually comes third on the list of my priorities."

"And the first two are?"

"Wife and mother," she stated.

"So you are planning on having children?"

"We already have three. At this time there are no plans for more," Mac said then added, "Now if you will excuse me, I need to put my groceries away or my ice cream will melt." She turned away and walked into the building with her guards surrounding her.

At the door to her apartment Mike asked, "This is where you live?"

Mac unlocked the door and was about to enter when Blake stopped her. He and another agent went in to check out the apartment while Mike waited for his answer. "No, I just have a key and the reporters are out there for the fun of it! What kind of question is that?" she demanded.

"I mean, that this isn't a very secure building! For heavens sake there isn't a security door downstairs, there is only one lock on this door, and you don't even have bars on those windows!" he exclaimed pointing at the windows he could see across her living room.

"It was just fine for the Marine I used to be!" she snapped at him.

To be continued…..


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"My point is, that this is no longer a safe place for you to live. Like it or not, you're a public figure now, as that mob outside proved. You need a more secure place, or better yet, you could just move into the White House now," Mike told her as they entered the apartment after Blake reported it was safe.

"Oh yeah, that would look good for me to move in with Kenneth before the wedding!" Mac exclaimed as she moved into the kitchen to put away the groceries.

Blake chimed in with, "The house is huge. It has over one hundred and thirty rooms! Hell, you could even be in a different wing until the wedding!"

"All I know is, that in politics, appearances are everything and it would look bad if I moved in early," Mac replied.

"Don't you have any friends or relatives that you could stay with for two weeks?" Mike questioned.

"If I really am in danger, do you think I'd want to put my friends in danger too? And my only relative is my Uncle Matt. He is in a very secure building though…" she trailed off.

One of the other agents commented, "Then that's your answer!" It was clear, as Mike and Blake rolled their eyes, who had read Mac's file and who hadn't.

"Her uncle is in Leavenworth, Gonzales!" Blake informed him.

"Oh," came the quiet reply.

"Listen, we can talk about this later. I'm supposed to be back at the house to have dinner with Kenneth and the children in twenty-five minutes," Mac said, picking up her purse and heading for the door.

Mike and Blake exchanged glances telling each other that neither of them were ready to let this drop.

Dinner was pleasant because Mac didn't know that her two lead agents were having a meeting with Joe Leland about her living arrangements. Gonzales had been left to guard her until the meeting was over.

While they ate, Mac told Kenneth about the changes she was making to the office and that she was meeting with her dress designer on Tuesday. She also talked about Little AJ Roberts, her godson that was six years old, and how she would like to have his family over for dinner one night so the boys could meet.

This news excited the twins so much that Mac also told them about Luna's son Shawn. The twins didn't have many chances to make friends, so were really looking forward to these meetings.

When they finished dinner, Mac brought out the newest Harry Potter movie. All three children raced for a spot in front of the television. Kenneth put his arm around Mac's waist as they followed more slowly into the family room. "You certainly made a big hit tonight my love. But you know you don't have to do these things to get them to like you, don't you?"

"I know, but they're special kids and I like pleasing them. I'm hoping that after they're in bed tonight we might have a chance to talk…"

"Certainly Sarah, it sounds serious. Not having second thoughts are you?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Not at all! I just have something that you should know about me that I don't think was in my files."

"I see. Okay, as soon as they are in bed, I'm all yours."

It seemed to take forever to get the children tucked into bed that night. It was almost as if they thought something important was about to happen that they wouldn't be a part of. They demanded extra stories and glasses of water from both Kenneth and Mac. He felt the children needed to get used to having Sarah as a part of their lives, so wanted her included in their bedtime rituals. Unfortunately, she didn't have the heart to say 'no' to them yet, so most of the delays could be laid at her door.

Finally, almost an hour later than their normal bedtime, Kenneth and Mac were at last back in the sitting room and all three children were asleep. Both of them were on the couch, half turned to face each other. Mac was unsure of how to begin and sensing that Kenneth said, "Sarah, no matter what it is, remember that I meant what I said before. We will face it and get through it together."

To be continued…..


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"That means a lot to me when you don't even know what I'm going to say," Mac told him.

"I mean it," Kenneth offered.

"I know you do and I love you all the more for it." She paused and then asked, "When the reporter asked if we were going to have any more children, knowing you were sterile, why did you answer the way you did?"

"You mean leaving the door open to the possibility?" At her nod, he continued, "Because we hadn't talked about children and I didn't know if you wanted them."

"But knowing you couldn't…"

"There are so many options these days darling! If you want to have a child there are always sperm banks, or if not, then there are surrogate mothers, but that's usually the choice if the woman can't have a child. There is also adoption. Babies take a while, but there are so many children in this world that need a home! All I'm saying is that if you want more children than the three we have, we will find a way."

Hugging him fiercely with tears running down her face, Mac said, "If I didn't love you before you said that, I would now! The reason I was asking is because a few months ago I had a bout of endometriosis. It was treated and I'm fine now, but my doctor told me that there was only a four percent chance I would ever be able to become pregnant."

"Oh Sarah, I'm so sorry!"

"So was I, but as you said, we have three amazing kids to raise and now that Laurel and I are getting along, I think we can be a wonderfully happy family!"

"Are you sure? We could still look into adoption."

"I have a feeling between the three we already have and being First Lady, I'm going to be pretty busy," she informed him with a tender smile.

"Well, if at any time you want to change your mind, just let me know."

"I will, my love."

They talked about how the wedding plans were going and after checking his schedule, found that Tuesday night would be a good night to have the Roberts family over for dinner. Mac promised to call them in the morning to see if they were free.

Since he had missed his ride that morning, Kenneth asked if Mac would like to go with him the next day. She happily agreed and then reluctantly said she'd better be getting home. As they shared a few parting kisses, Mac told him what had been said about her apartment by Mike and Blake. Not wanting to upset her, Kenneth asked if they mightn't have been right.

She assured him nothing would happen to her, after all she was a former Marine, a former Secret Service Agent, and would have a guard or two with her at all times.

He conceded that she was probably right and with one more lingering kiss walked her to the door.

Mike was waiting at the door for her and she found nothing to be suspicious about until when she tried to turn down the hall that would lead her out of the building, he took her arm and told her to come with him. Wondering if he was having a car meet them at a different exit, she followed along until he stopped in front of a door and opened it.

It was one of the White House's many guest rooms and lying across the end of the bed was a shortie silk robe that Webb had bought for her while they were dating, but she had never worn it. She had never seen the use for a robe. You either changed out of one outfit and into another, or when coming from a shower or bath, dressed for either work or bed. She had never found a reason for that in-between stage that a robe represented. However, that was not what was on her mind right then. She wanted to find out the reason her never worn robe was here and not in the back of her closet at her apartment. Mac had a feeling that she wasn't going to like the answer she would get.

To be continued…..


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Turning to face Mike, Mac crossed her arms over her chest and demanded, "Just what the hell is going on here?"

"We had a little meeting while you were having dinner with the family and Mr. Leland agreed that you shouldn't be at your apartment anymore."

"Uncle Joe agreed to that!?" she gasped.

"Uncle Joe!?" Mike's eyebrows rose high on his forehead.

"Honorary only, but that still doesn't explain what my clothes are doing here!"

"We had Elaina Lopez go over to your place and gather up all your personal things and bring them here."

"Why?"

"Because, you're not safe at that apartment, Ma'am."

"You know I can take care of myself! Just because I became engaged, I became a helpless female?"

"No, because you became engaged to the President of the United States you became a target! And you know very well that if someone wants to get to you, they usually can. That's why we want you as protected as possible. So, if you will be so kind as to make all of our jobs easier and accept this move with the least possible resistance, we would greatly appreciate it!"

Fuming at what she considered a betrayal by her Uncle Joe, Mac glared at Mike and entered the room. She knew that he was only doing his job, just as she had had to do when she pressed the release button on the escape pod on Air Force One during the hijacking, but that didn't make it any easier to take. She was going to have a long and meaningful talk with Uncle Joe at her first opportunity!

Mike could almost see the steam coming out of her ears and there was no mistaking the fire in her eyes. He was very glad that it appeared she wasn't going to take it out on him, or at least not right now. There could very well come a time in the future when she discovered just how vocal he had been on insisting that her apartment wasn't safe for her, that she would come back on him for his hand in this move, but he hoped that wouldn't occur. He liked and respected Sarah Mackenzie and only wanted to keep her safe. He hoped that he could do that without her finding out how much it meant to him. It would never do for her to discover that he had developed feelings for her during their close work on the hijacking.

Daring to stop the door from closing in his face, he told her, "Lopez will relieve me at midnight. She's your night guard."

With an abrupt nod, because she was still too angry to speak, Mac closed the door. Going over to the bed she snatched up the robe and stomped to the wardrobe that was in the room rather than a closet. She was going to put it away, even if she was going to be First Lady she was still going to sleep in an old worn out T-shirt and boxer shorts. Opening the wardrobe, she stopped in shock; everything was hung in the exact order as she had her things at home! There was even an empty hanger on the far right for the robe in her hand! Once it was put away, she moved to the dresser

The first drawer held her bras and undies. They were folded and grouped just as she'd had them at home. They went from everyday wear on the left, to her sexiest scraps of lace and satin on the far right. The next drawer down housed her socks, pantyhose, camisoles, and teddies, again arranged from bland to wild. Then in the next were casual shirts and tees; it was simply her 'shirt' drawer. The fourth down was filled with shorts, jeans, and sweats, her 'pants' drawer. At home that was all the drawers she had, but here there was a fifth drawer in the dresser, she wasn't surprised when she opened it to discover it was empty.

With dread, she moved to the nightstand next to the bed. Praying she was wrong, Mac slowly opened the top drawer. There she found her service revolver, the cleaning kit, and a box of Kleenex she had put there the last time she had a cold. Now she knew without a doubt that she would find the bottom drawer from her apartment had been just as faithfully transferred here as everything else had been.

All she could think as her hand crept towards the drawer was, 'Thank god Mike had sent a woman to move her things!' And as she stared at the drawer's contents, she prayed that Elaina Lopez wasn't a tattletale!

To be continued…..


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

There, lying on the yellow hand towel she always kept as a lining in the drawer, was her assortment of 'toys'. Mac had never been so mortified by anything in her life! Things like this were kept private for a reason and now, for all she knew, every agent in the White House knew her guilty little secret…secrets…three of them to be exact. One was average length and slender, it had ridges and bumps on it, the box had called it a French Tickler. The second was even smaller; it was the size of her index finger. It was perfect for clitoris stimulation. The box it came in had called it The Little Buddy. Since the third hadn't come in a box, there hadn't been a name for it. It had come attached to a piece of cardboard with the dimensions and information on what batteries it used. Mac figured if the white one was her Little Buddy, then this big boy had to be her Big Buddy!

The first time she'd thought of that, she'd wondered what Harriett would have said about it. Big Buddy was nine inches long and two inches around; she'd bought it several years ago when she was still having fantasies about a certain Admiral, that best remain nameless, even in her mind. The fantasies had faded, but not the pleasure Big Buddy gave her.

Because she was selective about the men she slept with, there were times when all she had for release were her toys. She had never used them when she was involved with someone, figuring that it would somehow reflect badly on the man she was dating. Then there had been the night Clay had discovered them. He had sat quietly staring at them for fifty-six seconds, then calmly reached into the drawer and handed her Big Buddy. All he'd said was, "Show me Sarah."

Embarrassed at first, Mac had just looked at him disbelievingly. When he nodded at her in encouragement, she'd slowly started to play with herself with her toy. It had led to one of their most intense lovemaking sessions and after that, he'd requested at different times she demonstrate the others for him. It was the only time she'd ever shared that with anyone.

However, as she sat there remembering what had occurred after some of her demonstrations, she wondered how Kenneth might react to seeing her do that some time. Closing the drawer firmly, she determined that it would probably be best to wait until they'd been married a while before asking him that.

Hearing quiet voices talking just outside her door, Mac knew Elaina Lopez had arrived for her duty shift. Even though it had been a full day, Mac knew there was no time like the present to get the talk with her new agent over and done with. Waiting a few minutes after the talking had stopped, Mac opened the door.

Agent Lopez turned to greet her charge and introduced herself. Mac shook her hand and invited Elaina into the room. "I wanted to thank you for the care you took in bringing my things here, but it really wasn't necessary to bring EVERYTHING," Mac told her nodding at the nightstand.

"I was simply told to bring everything here Ma'am and arrange things just the way you had them at home."

"I see, well I hope that I can trust in your discretion Elaina?"

The woman, whom Mac guessed at just a few years older than herself, smiled and said, "I'm single too Ma'am and have my own 'personal' drawer. We all have needs. Don't worry that anyone will find out from me."

"Thank you Elaina."

"No problem Ma'am."

The two of them shared a smile and Agent Lopez returned to her post outside Mac's door.

The next morning she woke early and thought about going for a run, but remembering that she would be riding with Kenneth later in the morning, she decided to see if she could catch Harriett before they left for church. When Little AJ answered the phone she asked him to put his mother on. Hollering for her, AJ had a question for Mac before Harriett arrived, "Auntie Mac, is it true you're going to marry the President?"

"Yes it is AJ, why do you ask?"

"Cuz I was wondering if that meant you got to ride in Air Force One?"

"Yes it does sweetie, but I've already been in it a few times."

"WOW! Do you think I could ever take a ride in it? Pleassssse!?"

"AJ Roberts! What are you begging for now?" Harriett asked, taking the phone from her son.

To be continued…..


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Mac's laughter greeted her, "It's alright Harriett, he just wanted to know if he could ride in Air Force One someday."

"Oh Mac, I'm so sorry! He's been taught not to do those kinds of things!"

"Really, it's okay Harriett. I'm sure something can be arranged. Now the reason I called was to see if you, Bud, and the children could come to dinner Tuesday night?"

"At the White House?" she squeaked.

"Well yes…" with a giggle at her friend's shock Mac asked, "Is that a problem?"

"I don't know if I have time to get all of us new clothes by then," Harriett fretted.

"Please Harriett! This is a casual dinner with friends, any dress would be fine and I'm sure the children will end up playing outside, so don't get fancy!"

"But Mac, this is dinner at the White House!"

"Harriett just forget the address! Pretend you're going to meet us at Callisto's! Please be comfortable."

With an unsure sigh Harriett agreed to try. She might have said more, but Bud called that they had to leave or they would be late. Telling Mac they would be there, she hurried to gather up the children.

Mac dressed casually in jeans and a cotton top then joined Kenneth and the children for breakfast in the dining room. She reported that the Roberts family would be there Tuesday for dinner. The twins were eagerly looking forward to meeting Little AJ.

Blake Darkhorse and Paul Gordon were the agents that accompanied Mac and Kenneth on their ride that morning. Mac could clearly see why she'd been asked to take Paul's place guarding Kenneth on his rides. He really hated being there. On the other hand, Blake was as different as night and day from Paul. He looked as happy to be there as Mac and Kenneth were, and it became clear why, when the four of them were mounted and ready to go. Blake seemed as at home in a saddle as most people were on their living room couch. When Mac asked him how long he'd been riding, he admitted that it was before he could walk.

Because Mac was still nowhere near the rider Kenneth was, she suggested that he and Blake take a turn or two around the park at the speed they wanted, while she and Paul did the same at a much slower pace. The suggestion was agreed upon by all and the agents informed central command of the temporary change in charges.

Everything was going well until Paul just couldn't resist making a snide comment about the engagement. "Just what is your problem Agent Gordon?" Mac demanded, pulling her horse to a stop to glare at the man.

"You do know he couldn't keep his first wife happy when he was only a Governor and she wasn't half as hot as you are!?"

"So are you worried about my sex life because I'm too 'hot' for him, or that now that he's President he will have even less time to keep a wife 'happy'?"

"I guess some of both!" Paul leered at her.

"I see, and is this just concern, or are you offering to do something about the problem?"

"What ever you'd like, MA'AM," was Paul's reply.

"You know, you remind me very much of my old partner, but at least he was a bit more refined! And I have to tell you that even if I needed it, I wouldn't turn to you if you were the last man on earth!"

"Oh!" he nodded understandingly. "Well, I guess if you swing that way, you're new night agent is single and we've heard there's no man in her life…"

Mac had a hard time controlling the anger boiling inside of her. She knew that what had been said could get the man fired for sexual harassment and black listed for any government job for the rest of his life. But as offensive as he had been, Mac hesitated to take that kind of action. She did, however, feel that he should be warned, because the next person he tried something like that with might not be as lenient. "Paul, if you have any sense at all, you'll straighten up your act or you'll find yourself out of a job!"

To be continued…..


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

"Oh I see how it is! Miss High-and-Mighty-Engaged-to-the-President! Now that you're in HIS pants you think he'll believe anything you say about anyone! Well, I'll have you know, lady, I'm a good agent and Leland is my boss, not the President. So unless you're sleeping with him too…my job is pretty safe," Paul informed her.

Mac was about to pop the man's bubble and tell him about her Uncle Joe, when Kenneth and Blake came riding up. With a grin of triumph, Paul took the lead as the four of them headed back to the stables.

Since Blake was bringing up the rear, the engaged pair had a bit of privacy. Seeing her body language, he knew something was wrong. In a hushed voice he asked, "Sarah, what is it?"

Not wanting to bother him with something she felt she could handle on her own, Mac said, "It's nothing, Kenneth."

"I know better! I can see you're upset and because you were along with Agent Gordon, it must have been something he said or did."

When she didn't answer, he tried again, "Did he say something about your past?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you were afraid of what would happen if some of your history came out and since the agents have complete files on all of us, I was wondering if he'd said something about that?"

"No, it wasn't anything like that," she answered; unable to take the easy way out by letting him believe that.

"Then what, darling?"

"Kenneth, please! I'm an adult and can handle this. Please allow me to deal with it in my own way."

He was at a loss! He wanted to protect her, but knew she was as capable of that as he. He wanted to shield her from every hurt or upset, but knew she was strong enough to face them all by his side. He wanted her to rely on him, but knew with his responsibilities he couldn't always be there and that meant she would need to rely on her guards or herself. Kenneth knew Sarah was able to do that on her own, but he still somehow felt that it was his job. Donna had let him handle everything, turning to him constantly, but she and Sarah were nothing alike and he needed to remember that. He respected Sarah for her strengths, in fact, he loved her for them.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded and smiled at her. "Alright darling, just remember if you need any help at all I'm here for you."

"I'll remember," she answered, relieved and grateful he hadn't pursued it any further.

They watched the children have their lesson and then all of them had lunch together. They returned to the house, where they spent the afternoon playing with the children on the lawn. After dinner, they sat together going over the plans for the wedding before parting, with a few kisses, for an early night.

Mac spent the next morning stripping the office of furniture and drapes. After lunch she busied herself taping off windows and woodwork for the painting. Since she knew Kenneth had meetings that evening she planned to start painting right after dinner. Mike had been with her all day and she had even managed to get him to let down his guard a couple of times to help move a heavy piece of furniture or to tape off some of the hard to reach places.

When Elaina relieved him after dinner and she discovered Mac intended to start painting, Elaina asked if she any extra painting clothes. With a conspiratorial grin, Mac said yes she did. Soon both of them were in the locked office with the radio blaring, painting, laughing, and sharing life stories.

Kenneth finished his meeting at 11:30 and hoped to say goodnight to Sarah before retiring to his own bed. He was surprised not to find Agent Lopez in front of the guest room door. Even though his night guard was with him, Kenneth still didn't want to alert everyone that he was looking for his fiancée. He tried her cell phone, but the call went right to voice mail.

Knowing she hadn't planned to go out, he finally resorted to asking his agent to locate the Warrior Princess. Central command informed Agent Jessup that she and her agent were still in the First Lady's office

The two men could hear the music and female laughter two rooms away as they approached the office. If that hadn't been enough of a shock for them, finding that the door was locked had them really wondering what was going on.

To be continued…..


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

Even though he knocked quite hard on the door, Kenneth got no answer. He realized they couldn't hear him above the music, so he waited until the current song had finished and tried again. This time his knock was heard and two rather paint-splattered women answered the door.

Kenneth and Agent Jessup had trouble not reacting to the sight before them. Kenneth's amusement stemmed from not only the 'painted ladies', but the fact that he was pretty sure this was the first time the First Lady had even been involved in painting her own office. He couldn't resist pulling out his phone and taking a picture with the camera function.

Agent Jessup, on the other hand, couldn't believe the sight of Agent Lopez whom he'd heard referred to as both a 'cold fish' and a 'stick in the mud'. Here she was in shorts, a Marine's T-shirt, decorated with paint, and a wide easy going smile on her face.

Mac felt they'd all stared at each other long enough and declared cheerfully, "If you boys haven't brought food or help, then you can just take a hike!"

With a grin, Kenneth hit the number for the kitchen on the phone still in his hand and ordered a plate full of sandwiches and a pitcher of iced tea. He kicked off his shoes, removed his socks, then took off his suit coat, tie, and shirt, draping them over Ms. Strat's desk so as not to get paint on them. In his T-shirt and slacks, he turned to Jessup with a questioning look.

"Ummm…Sir…we're supposed to keep our hands free to protect you!"

Agent Lopez snorted and said, "We'll be in a locked room on the second floor of a house surrounded by a fence and dozens of other guards. The only thing you'll have to protect him from in here is Mac's singing!"

Jessup's jaw dropped.

Kenneth laughed.

Mac tried to look offended, but couldn't help giggling.

"Lead on, ladies! I'm ready to help and Jessup can guard us all if he wants, but the sandwiches are only for the painters!" Kenneth warned, as he ventured into the office to see how far they'd gotten.

Resigned to the fact that he would look churlish if he refused to help, Scott Jessup asked if he could at least go to his locker and change out of his suit.

Everyone agreed that Lopez could safely guard both Mac and Kenneth while Scott did that. He was back just as the tray of food arrived from the kitchen.

The girls dove into the food like staving locusts and Kenneth teased Elaina that she ate like a Marine. Rolling her eyes at him, she mumbled through bites of her sandwich that she had six brothers and sisters while growing up and if you didn't eat fast, you could go hungry. Mac grinned at her and passed her another ham and cheese sandwich. The tray quickly emptied and they were soon ready to get back to work. The girls had finished the priming before the guys had arrived and since Mac had made sure to get quick drying paint, by the time they finished eating they could start applying color to the walls. Mac had settled on a rich shade of caramel for the walls and a complimenting shade of butterscotch for the woodwork and ceiling.

There was much laughter and talking as they worked, the only disagreement came over the music they would work to. Both Mac and Elaina wanted country and Kenneth admitted that while he preferred classical or jazz he could 'live' with country. Jessup was quiet during the discussion. When pressed, he said he would bow to the majority, even though they saw him cringe when they found a country station on the radio. Mac couldn't leave this alone until she discovered what the quiet young man liked. It took some probing, but he finally admitted he was a closet 'classic rock' fan.

With a grin Mac dialed the radio to a '50's rock station and within moments "Rock Around The Clock" was blaring in the room. Kenneth watched in amusement as Sarah's hips swayed in time to the music and the paint roller she was using did the same.

To be continued…..


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

With his favorite music on the radio, Jessup loosened up, and was soon having as much fun as the other three. They finally finished the walls at about four am and all of them decided that the woodwork and ceiling would have to wait for another day. Elaina and Scott pretended to look the other way while Kenneth and Mac shared a tender good night kiss.

Mac knew that if she didn't get the paint off of her before morning, it would be even harder then, so she chose to shower before falling into bed. Sleeping an hour longer than usual the next morning she was still up hours before she was scheduled to meet with Francesca Paretti. Deciding to grab a quick breakfast, she headed back to the office and started on the woodwork.

Mike had shaken his head when she came out of her room dressed to paint and her hair tied up in a bandanna, but nonetheless admired her persistence, having been told by Agent Lopez what time she'd gotten to bed the night before. They approached the office to find Ms. Strat already at her desk. She frowned at Mac, having seen the color of the office was being painted. She clearly disapproved, however, she said nothing about it knowing it wasn't her place. Instead, she held out the red silk tie she'd found on the floor near her desk that morning, asking Mac if she knew anything about it.

Smiling, Mac took the tie, folded it and placed it in the back pocket of her jeans. "It's Kenneth's," she offered. Mac could have told the woman that he had been there helping with the painting, but instead she thought, 'just let her wonder!', and continued, "I'm going to be starting on the trim work this morning Ms. Strat. Please let me know when Ms. Paretti arrives for our appointment."

"I shall, Ma'am."

An hour later, Megan Pratt poked her nose into the room to tell Mac that she had found a seamstress to make drapes out of the material Mac had purchased, but she would need to come in and measure the windows.

Agreeing that it was all right, Mac told Megan to warn her about the wet paint. When a grandmotherly looking woman arrived a few minutes later, Mac told Mike to help her get the measurements that would require getting up on a ladder.

Mac was delighted when the seamstress informed her that not only was there enough material for the drapes, but that there should be enough left over to make some accent pillows for the couches. Waving a cheerful good-bye to the woman, Mac went back to painting.

Because of an accident on the beltway Francesca's car was delayed by traffic. When she hadn't arrived by 10:15 Ms. Strat decided she'd waited long enough for her midmorning break and went to get a cup of tea.

That was how Francesca arrived unannounced at the office door with just her guide. The young woman opened the door when there was no answer to her knock and allowed Ms. Paretti to go into the room first. Francesca saw Mike first, he was pulling the tape off of the window that Mac had just finished painting.

Mac had realized three quarters of the way through that window that ten am had come and gone with no Francesca. Not wanting to stop so close to being done, she went ahead and finished. When Francesca entered the office, Mac was banging the lid back onto the paint can. She had decided it was a good place to take a break and to looking for AJ's missing daughter. Mac didn't want to have to explain to her former CO that she had misplaced Francesca.

Seeing the elegantly clad woman, Mac wiped her paint smeared hands on a rag and went to greet her. "It's good to see you again, Francesca. Thank you for coming."

Shaking Mac's extended hand, Francesca replied, "I am pleased to be here. I didn't know you would be painting your own office. Did my father make you do that too?

"Oh no, the military took care of all that, the only thing we were allowed to do was place pictures on the walls," Mac laughed. "If you can give me a few minutes to clean up I will meet you in the sitting room where we can have coffee and talk."

To be continued…..


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"That sounds fine," Francesca agreed. She was shown to the sitting room while Mac grabbed a quick shower and changed clothes.

Twenty minutes after they parted, Mac rejoined Francesca and saw that the coffee had arrived. Pouring herself a cup, Francesca commented that it was from a different pot than hers had been from.

"That's because I like mine very strong, and most people can't tolerate it like that," Mac replied.

"Ah…like Papa! Mama used to say that she could never make it strong enough for him. One day, she told me she got angry and scooped some grounds out of the pot and into his cup. She suggested, none too kindly, that he should just chew on the grounds! Mama was appalled when he filled the rest of the cup with the coffee that was too weak, stirred it for a minute and then using his finger to hold back the grounds, he drank it!"

Mac laughed so hard she almost slid out of her chair. She could just picture a young AJ Chegwidden doing that. "What a cute story! I'll have to remember it to tease him with it one day," Mac told her.

With a shared smile, Francesca asked if Mac was ready to look at dress sketches. Eagerly nodding, she watched as Francesca pulled out a binder full of pictures.

Knowing she didn't want anything fussy or elaborate, Mac flipped past those quickly. She was looking for something simple and elegant that wouldn't be too warm to wear outdoors in August. By the time she got to the last picture in the book, Mac had three dresses she liked. Showing them to Francesca, the designer vetoed the first one immediately. "This one is not right for your figure Mac. The cut is all wrong. What is it that you like about it?"

"I like the draping in the back that almost makes it look like the sleeves are a shawl. But the long train seems a bit much for an outdoor wedding."

"I agree, and the neckline is wrong for you. Show me the other two that you liked." When Francesca saw the ones Mac had picked out, she again asked what she liked about them. Francesca pulled out a sketchpad and quickly worked for a few minutes while Mac watched her pencil fly across the page.

Turning the drawing towards Mac when she finished, Francesca asked, "What do you think of this?"

Mac gasped. Francesca had taken all the elements from the three dresses that she liked and put them into one gown. It was perfect! Just what Mac had been dreaming of! "Oh Francesca, it's wonderful! I love it!"

"Marvelous! Now let's talk color! With your skin tone you should never wear pure white, but any shade of ivory, cream, or ecru would be beautiful on you."

"This will be my second marriage and I'm hardly 'innocent' so white wouldn't be appropriate anyway," Mac told her.

"Oh that doesn't matter these days! It's all about what looks best on you," Francesca assured her. Pulling out some fabric samples, they chose the material and color for the dress.

Amazed at how quickly everything had been decided, Mac asked Francesca to join her for lunch. As they were eating, the designer asked what Mac was planning for attendant attire. Mac's blank stare told her all she needed to know. After they finished their meal, Francesca requested a walk in the Rose Garden.

With sketchbook in hand, they waited for a second agent to arrive. If the Warrior Princess was leaving the house, a second guard was needed. Minutes later Blake Darkhorse arrived. He and Francesca were introduced to each other and it was suddenly as if Mike and Mac were no longer in the room with them.

The two forgotten ones exchanged amused glances as Francesca and Blake were locked in a handshake and lost in each other's eyes. Gently clearing her throat, Mac suggested that they take the walk Francesca had asked for.

Once outside, Blake was too much of a professional to shirk his duty and so kept his ever-vigilant eyes on Mac. However, it was clear that he also was totally aware of Francesca's every move, because it was his hand that shot out to steady her when she stumbled over a bit of uneven ground.

To be continued…..


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Reaching a bench in the middle of the garden, Francesca sat for a time and started to draw. She had gotten the information on the ages and coloring of Mac's three attendants while they were waiting for Agent Darkhorse to arrive. Within minutes, she had designed a simple summer dress with spaghetti straps, an empire waistline that would help hide Harriett's pregnancy, and a petal hemline that would be suitable for all three ages. She took samples of three different roses right there in the garden and said she would match the dresses to them for color. Harriett would be in coral, Chloe in melon, and Laurel in peach. Francesca recommended bouquets to match the dresses and then took out the fabric sample of Mac's dress to find a rose that would be suitable for her bouquet. She found a lovely ivory colored one and took another clipping.

Mac made notes of the names of the roses so she could have the gardener prepare the bouquets, as well as boutonnières for the men.

They re-entered the house where Blake was no longer needed, but before he left, Mac saw he and Francesca exchanging papers that she guessed were their phone numbers. She quizzed Francesca about it before she left for the day and discovered she'd been right. Mac told her that Blake had served under her father and Francesca made a mental note to ask her Papa about him.

Knowing she didn't have time to get any more painting done before the Roberts' arrived for dinner, she headed to her room for a short rest before changing clothes once again. Mac grinned. One good thing about moving into the White House was that someone else was doing her laundry now. It was a good thing too, because all she seemed to be doing these days was changing clothes.

The Roberts' family arrived after going through the routine checks and searches that all visitors of the First Family did. They were shown into the sitting room where Mac was waiting with Kenneth and the children. To the Roberts, the room seemed very full of people. Not only was there the engaged couple and the three children, but five body guards as well.

Bud entered the room with young AJ close by his side. They were dressed casually, but it was clear that all three males had very recently gotten haircuts. Harriett was in a pretty print dress that Mac was sure was brand new. She also had three year old Jimmy firmly by the hand.

Mac walked up to Harriett and greeted her with a hug and then turned to introduce everyone. While Bud and Kenneth were still shaking hands, the twins had grabbed AJ and headed out the patio doors to the side lawn. Harriett watched in concern as two burly men dressed in suits followed the three children from the room.

"Is it okay that they go out?" Harriett asked Mac.

"Yes Harriett, don't worry. Their guards will keep an eye on them and let us know if anything at all needs our attention. We will join them outside in a bit anyway; we're going to cook on the patio tonight. Can I get you and Bud something to drink?"

Harriett nodded and said, "Tea or soda would be fine." She looked over at her husband and asked, "Buddy, what do you want to drink honey?"

Casually he answered, "Oh, just a beer."

At his wife's gasp, he looked over at her and saw the horrified look on her face. Knowing he'd done something very wrong, but not sure what that something was, he stood there helplessly bewildered.

Grinning, Kenneth came to his rescue saying, "I'll have a beer too," as he headed towards the small fridge in the corner of the room. "Light or dark Bud?"

"Light…ummm…in color I mean, not the watery stuff…"

"Got it!" Kenneth winked and pulled two Heinekens out. Opening them he handed the still distracted Bud one of the cold bottles.

Trying to process things at warp-speed it suddenly hit Bud what he had done wrong. Asking for a beer from a former alcoholic had been his first mistake, he was sure. Then, asking for something as mundane as a beer in the White House had probably been his second. He didn't know if there had been a third, but he was sure that those first two reasons for the look on his wife's face would be enough to get him several hours of lectures when he got home. Never mind the fact that Kenneth had beer on hand, or that he didn't seem bothered to be drinking it in front of his fiancée, that wouldn't matter to Harriett when she got him home.

To be continued…..


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

Bud was all set to start on a long series of apologies when he heard Mac say, "It's alright, Bud. I can be around people drinking without wanting it for myself. You know the JAG staff used to go to McMurphys all the time."

"Yes Ma'am. I'm sorry though. I should have been thinking and not saying something so offensive."

"The only offensive thing you've done is call me Ma'am instead of Mac," she told him gently.

Putting his arm around Sarah's shoulders Kenneth suggested, "Why don't we all go out on the patio? The grill is warmed and we can start cooking at any time."

"Good idea," Mac offered. "I'm sure the kids are hungry."

Because the policy was, that whenever one of the First Family was outside the house a second guard was to be with them, Mac and Kenneth weren't surprised that there were already five more guards on the patio. Two of them were in the yard where the boys were tossing around a Frisbee. As Kenneth and Bud went over to the grill, Mac and Harriett sat down at the table that had already been set for dinner.

Harriett looked around and asked, "How do you do it? I remember what a private person you were and now you're constantly surrounded by guards!"

After careful consideration of her answer, Mac began to speak, "Do you remember when Bud stepped on that landmine and it took you time to get there? You had to endure that to get to the man you loved. Then there were all the adjustments when he was in the hospital and even more later. When he was going through physical therapy, you put up with all of it because the alternative would have been living without him. It all just comes down to, you can learn to live with anything, if the alternative is living without the one you love."

With an understanding nod, Harriett reached out to pat Mac's hands. "I understand that perfectly."

"I knew you would."

The evening went very well after everyone had time to relax. The three boys got along like crazy, leaving Jimmy and Laurel feeling a little left out. That was until Jimmy heard her humming to one of her dolls while they were waiting for dinner to finish cooking. He crawled up into her lap and demanded to be sung to as only a three year old can.

Harriett tried to apologize for her son's behavior, while explaining that Jimmy was fascinated with music. He demanded that the stereo at home be on all the time, and begged anyone that would, to sing to him. Laurel smiled at Harriett and told her she didn't mind. She loved to sing and would be happy to do so for Jimmy. He spent the rest of the evening in her lap, moving only far enough away to let her eat when dinner was ready and then climbing back into her arms as soon as she had finished.

The boys pleaded for AJ to be allowed to spend the night when talk turned to leaving, but then Jimmy wanted to stay with Laurel as well and Harriett knew he was too young to spend the night away from home. Promising that they would arrange something soon, the family took their leave.

Mac was painting the ceiling of her office with a roller on a long pole when her phone rang about mid-morning. Francesca had flown back to Italy the night before and had gotten her staff started on the four dresses the first thing that morning. She was calling to tell Mac that the dresses would be ready for their first fitting on Friday. She had already let her father and Luna know that she would be flying in again and they had offered to have everyone over to dinner so the ladies could have a fitting.

Telling her that she would check schedules as well as call Chloe and Harriett, Mac promised if at all possible that everyone would be there.

The rest of the week seemed to fly by, as Mac put the finishing touches on the office. The painting was done and the seamstress was due late on Thursday afternoon to deliver the drapes for the windows. The furniture she had selected had arrived and was put in just the right places at her direction that morning.

To be continued…..


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Mac was eager to show the room to Kenneth as soon as it was finished, but once again, he was in meetings all evening.

It was nearly one in the morning before he was free. Knowing it was late…or rather early; Kenneth tried to talk himself out of the trip down the hall to Sarah's room. Jessup had stood just behind him, as was proper, as Kenneth gazed longingly down the hall, trying to talk himself into going to his own lonely bed. He stood there a full two minutes before heading towards her room. 'After all,' he reasoned, 'they hadn't seen each other most of the day.'

Turning the last corner, Kenneth saw Agent Lopez standing by Sarah's door. "Do you stand all night?" he asked her, knowing that their 'night agents' were allowed to sit out their shifts while their charges were sleeping.

"No, Sir," came her quick reply. "I stay standing until her light goes off in case she needs me."

"I see. So she's still up?" he questioned as he took note that there was still light shining from under her door.

"I believe she said she was going to read for a while, Sir."

Having heard the quiet voices outside her door, Mac wondered who Elaina might have been talking to. Not wanting to appear at the door in her sleepwear, Mac grabbed the silk robe that Clay had given her from the back of her closet. It was the only one she had. She hadn't known whom she'd expected to see in the hall, but was pleasantly surprised to find it was Kenneth. "Hi," she said quietly.

"Hi, yourself. I hope I'm not bothering you by stopping around so late," he offered softly.

Aware of the two others in the hall, she had to resist the urge to pull him into the room with her and ravish him. Instead she answered mildly, "Not at all. I wasn't asleep, only reading. How were your meetings?"

"Long and boring. I missed seeing you today."

"I missed you too. The office was finished today and I wanted to show you, but then I got a look at your schedule and knew it would be impossible."

"Well, I'm free now…" he grinned as he told her.

"But don't you want to go to bed?" she gasped, knowing how late it was.

"Now Sarah, we're going to be married in a week, surely you can wait 'til then?!" he teased much to the amusement of both their agents, who were trying to hide their smiles at Mac's shocked look.

"You know very well what I meant Kenneth Kennex! But just for that, I'm going to give you the grand tour of every little detail in the office so you'll be yawning through all your meetings tomorrow!" she declared.

"That's fine darling, I'll just explain to the Joint Chiefs that you kept me up most of the night…" he informed her with a wink.

Foiled again by his witty comeback, she closed the door in his smug face while she went to quickly slip into a pair of jeans, figuring the T-shirt she slept in would be okay for this late night tour. Yanking open the door, she marched right passed the three waiting there and didn't even look back to see if they were following her or not.

When they reached her office, Mac went right in, flipping on the lights as she did. Kenneth stopped at the door and told both agents to wait outside. With knowing smiles they did as instructed.

Realizing they were in the office alone, Mac threw open her arms and spun around asking, "What do you think?"

When he answered simply, "I like it," she replied, "Good, then the tour is over!"

Before he had time to laugh, she was in his arms, pushing him towards the couch while kissing him fervently.

Kenneth hadn't been completely kidding when he'd made the 'waiting a week to make love' remark. Even though neither he nor Mac were that old fashioned, they had decided to wait for their wedding night. Several reasons for that had been brought up when it was being discussed. It was only a two week wait at that time. Then there was the fact that they had so little privacy. Not only would their own agents know, but also the information that one was in the other's bedroom all night would have to be relayed to the agents' central command center. But, when everything was said and done, it all came down to the children. For a place that ran on secrets, it seemed that nothing ever got by the children. Kenneth and Sarah decided that they wanted to set an example for them.

To be continued…..


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

However, that choice had in no way lessened their desire for one another and they couldn't be faulted for trying to steal whatever moments they could to be alone together.

After two hours passionate kissing and some heavy petting, they emerged from the office after checking each other to make sure clothes and hair was straightened.

As they came out, Mac was saying, "And that will teach you to tease me Kenneth Kennex!"

"Yes it will, Sarah! That tour was quite exhausting!"

After the two parted to go to their own wings, with a chaste peck, Elaina waited until the men disappeared down the hall to ask with a grin, "So just how long was the tour, Ma'am?"

Giggling, Mac admitted, "Twelve seconds!"

In the other hall, Scott Jessup was asking the same thing of the President. Kenneth replied, "Oh, I'm sure it was less than a minute!"

Both agents laughed at the answers they got, having figured that had been the case.

Chloe's arrival on Friday was far different than anyone was expecting. It had been several months since she and Mac had seen each other at Christmas so Mac was unaware that in her little sister's book, boys had gone from being ' worthless wastes of time' to 'as necessary as breathing'! Because of this, meeting the Secret Service Agents for Mac and the family became like opening a smorgasbord of men to the love-starved teen.

Blake set her drooling when she first saw him, but she finally decided that Marc's guard, Patrick Duffy was the cutest of the bunch. As soon as she could pull Mac aside to talk to her in private, Chloe was demanding to know how she could get an agent of her own, preferably Patrick Duffy! With a grin, Mac informed her that both Marc and Matt were too young to be dating an 'older woman', and that since Kenneth was taken, that left out the romantic angle.

Chloe, not to be thwarted, declared that as Mac's sister she should be entitled to protection too! What if their relationship was discovered and because of it someone kidnapped her, holding her to get Mac to do something! Wouldn't Mac feel awful if something like that happened?

Mac admitted that she would feel bad about it, but that since the administration's policy was not to negotiate with kidnappers, blackmailers, or terrorists, that she wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

The young girl's mouth hung open, "Do you mean to tell me that if I was kidnapped, you wouldn't do anything about it?" she demanded.

"Well, when I was a Marine, I would have geared up and gone after you, but now that I am going to be First Lady, I'm sure that the Secret Service wouldn't allow me to do that…"

"So you would just let them kill me…or worse?!"

Even though he was on the other side of the room, Blake couldn't help but overhear what they had been talking about, but up until then he'd been able to keep his amusement hidden. Unfortunately the teen's last remark, combined with the affronted look on her face, was too much for him to handle and he burst out laughing.

Seeing Blake's reaction was the last straw for Mac too. She'd been keeping a straight face while teasing Chloe, but seeing Blake nearly doubled over with laughter like that caused her to join in.

"MAAAAC!" Chloe's strident protest accompanied a glare as she pointed at Blake and demanded, "Are you going to let him make fun of me that way?!"

Knowing his duty was to protect Mac from threats against her life not run interference between her and her little sister, Blake nonetheless tried to calm his laughter and straighten up.

Taking a deep breath, he placed his hand over his heart and said, "My dear Miss Madison, if that dire fate should ever befall you, I promise to do my utmost to save you from death…or worse!"

That declaration set Mac, who'd almost gotten herself under control, off again in a gale of laughter.

With as much dignity as she could muster, Chloe said, "Thank you Agent Darkhorse. YOU are a true gentleman!"

Kenneth had just come into the sitting room to join Sarah and her sister for lunch. He was a bit surprised when his fiancée informed him, "Kenneth, it would seem that I am not a gentleman!"

To be continued…..


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Trying to suppress a smirk, Kenneth replied, "Forgive me for saying this but, 'Thank God' to that!"

Once again, Mac couldn't control her laughter and now tears were rolling down her cheeks as well. By the time she recovered, her sides were actually hurting just a bit.

Lunch was an amusing time as Mac told the story behind the comments Kenneth had walked in on. He tried to assure Chloe that when they went to dinner that night at the Chegwidden's, there would be enough agents there that she could pretend one of them was there just for her.

Chloe assured him that she was much too mature for pretending such things and that if she couldn't have an agent of her own she would just have to bravely take her chances. She added that she only hoped they would give her a properly elaborate funeral if she got killed…or worse.

Kenneth couldn't resist. He just had to ask if she still wanted a funeral if the 'or worse' didn't leave her dead.

They could all tell the instant what Kenneth had said hit Chloe; the flummoxed look on her face was a dead give a way. Realizing she'd been 'gotten', she let out an exasperated sigh saying, "Oh you!" as she playfully swatted the President of the United States!

Seeing that Gonzales wasn't going to do anything about the swat, Blake walked over to him and they were soon carrying on a hushed conversation. Mac could tell something was 'up' when both of them started gesturing wildly. Giving Kenneth a wink and nod, Mac encouraged him to play along.

"Excuse me gentlemen," he said, looking sternly at the two agents.

"Yes Sir?" Gonzales asked.

"Just what is going on?"

Gonzales looked fearfully at Blake and shrugged, it was clear that he was hoping Blake would explain. Taking a step forward, Blake clasped his hands behind his back with his feet shoulder width apart in an 'at ease' posture. He solemnly replied, "Well Sir, we were discussing the ramifications of Ms. Madison's being the future First Lady's sister, in determining how to deal with her assault on the leader of the free world."

Playing his part to the hilt, Kenneth nodded gravely and questioned, "And what 'ramifications' were you debating Agent Darkhorse?"

Mac was trying so hard to keep a straight face as she saw the worry creeping across Chloe's face.

"It seems Sir that we only have two choices. The problem is that Agent Gonzales and I disagree on which would be the best solution."

"I see…what are the two choices?"

"Well Sir, one is a very sure way of making certain it never happens again. However, the other would be better in the public opinion arena, even if it isn't as effective as the first in repetition prevention."

"Yes…yes…but what ARE the choices?"

By now Chloe was shifting from one foot to the other and wringing her hands. It had finally occurred to her that the agents were very serious and she could be in some major trouble for what she had thought of as a playful gesture.

"The choices are…'shoot her' or 'put her over a knee and spank her'."

"Ah," Kenneth replied, not even blinking at the two options. "And who chose which one Agent Darkhorse?"

"You see Sir, Agent Gonzales is young and new to the job. He favors the more preemptive measure, while I, on the other hand, think that your fiancée might be a bit upset if she had to find another bridesmaid that was exactly Ms. Madison's size in the weeks time before the wedding."

"Good thinking! Sarah is not to be trifled with when she's upset! So, I'm sorry Agent Gonzales, but I think at least until after the wedding we will need to go with the spanking option."

"I understand Sir," Gonzales said.

"Now just a minute here!" Chloe shouted. Turning to her sister, she demanded, "Mac, are you going to let them get away with that?"

"Well, I was thinking of the two choices that the spanking would be the better one…would you prefer to be shot?"

That was all anyone could take, the scandalized look on Chloe's face did them all in. The room rang with laughter as the teen looked from one to another finally realizing she'd been had again!

To be continued…..


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

With everything finally settled, and both the spanking and shooting ideas put on hold, the family sat down to enjoy lunch together. Kenneth left for an afternoon of meetings, promising to try his best not to be late for their dinner at Admiral Chegwidden's home. Mac smiled indulgently, informing him that she understood.

An hour before Luna and AJ Chegwidden were expecting their dinner guests to arrive, a black SUV pulled up in the driveway. Four men and a woman, all in dark suits and sunglasses, got out. As they approached the front door, AJ and Dammit came around the side of the house.

Dressed in sweats and sneakers, and sweaty from his run, he didn't look much like the formal picture of Admiral Chegwidden that was in the file Jessup was carrying. Nonetheless Scott approached him, offering his hand and asking, "Admiral Chegwidden?"

"I'm retired. Mr. or just AJ is fine these days," he replied shaking the young man's hand.

"I'm Agent Jessup and these are Agents' Rogers, Ross, Perez, and Brown. We're here to make sure the premise's are secure for the First Family and Ms. Mackenzie."

"I understand. Please feel free to do what you need to. Let me introduce you to Dammit and assure her you are all 'friends'. Then we can go into the house and I will introduce you to my wife and our children." AJ did as he said and then the six humans went inside with Dammit happily tagging along. After the introductions, AJ excused himself to take a shower and change clothes before the guests arrived.

That left Agent Jessup to explain that they, as well as the other guests, when they arrived, would have to be searched, for the safety of the First Family. Agent Jenny Ross would search the ladies while Jessup would search Shawn and the Admiral when he finished dressing.

While waiting for her turn to be searched, Francesca approached Agent Rogers, whom she remembered hearing was one of Sarah Mackenzie's guards. Smiling at him she asked, "Isn't Agent Darkhorse going to be here tonight?"

"Yes, Ma'am. He is with Ms. Mackenzie now and will be arriving with her and the rest of the First Family."

"Oh I see!" she said, brightening considerably.

When the Roberts family arrived a short time later, Harriett joked, after being told they needed to be searched, that, "I really am pregnant you know! No concealed weapons here!"

Everyone was still laughing when the two black SUV's carrying Mac, Chloe, the First Family, and their agents pulled up. The five agents already at the house went out to assure them the location was secured. After the agents they arrived with emerged, the actual dinner guests were allowed to exit the vehicles.

AJ Roberts ran up to greet the twins and introduce them to Shawn. The four boys, with Dammit and their agents in tow, ran around to the back of the house so they could play Frisbee.

Jimmy was very upset when he wasn't included. Laurel told him that if he would sit in her lap she would sing to him. This changed his attitude quickly and he was soon smiling while she sang.

AJ suggested that the men all head to the patio to start grilling dinner. That way the ladies would have time to try on their dresses.

Pleased with that idea, the females headed into the house eager to see the creations Francesca had designed for them. Wanting to save the best for last, Francesca gave Harriett, Chloe, and Laurel their dresses to try on first. Luna and Mac helped them get them on and the zippers. Each one of them needed only slight alterations and Francesca made detailed notes on just what they were. Then as the three were putting their own clothes back on, Francesca brought out Mac's dress.

There were four delighted gasps when the dress was revealed. Luna had begged for, and gotten, a sneak preview of the dress that afternoon when her step-daughter had arrived. This way, she was able to watch the faces of the others, but mainly of Mac as she saw her dress for the first time.

Mac was almost afraid to touch it. "It's alright," Francesca assured her. "Please put it on so I can see if it needs any adjustments."

Stripping to her underwear, Mac stood there while Luna and Harriett lifted the dress over her head. Once it was on, Francesca pointed Mac at the full-length mirror on the back of the closet door. Tears ran down her cheeks as she looked at herself. She was speechless. The dress was absolutely breathtaking!

To be continued…..


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

"Oh Mac, you're so beautiful!" Harriett gasped.

"Yeah, you'll knock old Kenny's socks off for sure!" Chloe chimed in.

"You do look lovely, my dear," Luna offered.

Realizing that Laurel hadn't said anything, Mac turned to her and asked, "What do you think sweetie?"

"You look like a princess in a fairy book!"

"Do you think your father will like it?" Mac questioned hesitantly. Seeing her in this dress would bring the fact that the wedding was real, home to the child, and Mac was still a bit unsure of Laurel's feelings about that.

"He will really like it, and so do I!" she replied.

"Thank you Laurel, that means a lot to me."

Francesca hated to break up that moment, but she knew that the men were waiting for them, so she made a note that the hem needed to be a half an inch shorter and then said, "Well, we should get you out of the dress so we can all go and eat."

All the dresses were safely packed away and the women joined the males on the patio.

"Great timing," AJ announced when they arrived. "We were just about to come looking for you!"

"Now Papa, you know the Agents would have shot you if you had gotten anywhere near where the ladies were trying on dresses."

"We're Navy and Marine men, we would have found a way!" he assured his daughter.

"But we had Navy and Marine women, plus an Italian in there too! You men were clearly out classed!"

Throwing up their hands, the three men in question admitted that they knew defeat when they saw it. Everyone had a good laugh at that and then worked together to get dinner on the tables.

Kenneth sat there as the conversation flowed around him, amazed at how after the initial bit of awkwardness; everyone there was treating him as a 'normal human being' instead of the leader of the free world. It felt so good to be accepted in this way. He hoped that all of Sarah's friends would be like this and that they could find lots of time to spend with them. He could also see that it was good for the children. Shawn, AJ, and the twins had become the fearsome foursome and no matter what Marc and Matt's six guards said, they couldn't convince the six year olds that they were not objects to play 'hide-n-seek' behind. Before long, the relaxed and safe atmosphere of the Chegwidden home had its effect on every one and the six agents around the boys could be seen taking turns joining in the games.

On the patio things were also a bit looser than they should have been. The Admiral had informed the agents there was more than enough food for everyone, so they also relaxed enough to eat on duty. Chloe had gone to play with the 'boys' when; in fact, she hardly left Agent Duffy's side. That wasn't the only blossoming romance that was going on either. When Blake Darkhorse sat down to take his turn eating, Francesca Paretti boldly joined him and they were soon deep in conversation.

AJ kept a fatherly eye on the two of them for a time. He had learned of his daughter's interest in Blake when she questioned him about the man during her last visit. He thought he remembered Darkhorse as being married, so checked into that out of concern for Francesca. Blake had been married when he'd served under AJ and the marriage had lasted several more years until it ended in divorce when their daughter was three. Seeing the similarities to his own life in Blake's, AJ wondered how he'd handled it.

What he discovered was that Darkhorse was a good and caring father. He'd petitioned and gotten joint custody. He had always been in his daughter's life. When her mother was killed in a convenience store robbery, Blake had left the Navy to take full custody of his daughter. That was when he'd joined the Secret Service to stop the traveling and raise his daughter. AJ wondered if Francesca had thought this through to the fact that if the two of them did marry, she would have a fifteen-year-old stepdaughter. With an internal sigh, he realized that would make him an instant grandfather. How odd that would be. A fifteen-year-old step grand daughter and a six-year-old stepson.

To be continued…..


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

After seeing how his daughter had behaved with Blake Darkhorse, AJ wasn't at all surprised to learn that she planned to stay the entire weekend and not return to Italy until Sunday night.

For his part, even though he had Saturday off, Blake had also asked Mike Rogers if he could switch days off with him. That way he would be free to see Francesca on Sunday as well. With a knowing smile, Mike had agreed to the trade. He had seen how Blake had reacted to Admiral Chegwidden's daughter.

Blake and Francesca had enjoyed all the time they'd spent together that weekend and Sunday afternoon had a serious talk about where they wanted the relationship to go. Both knew it would be nearly impossible to have a real relationship with them on different continents.

Francesca had told him she was willing to relocate if they became serious. She had a good assistant and could easily promote him to manager, while she opened a new boutique here in the States. She told him that she would still have to do quite a bit of traveling back and forth in the first year, but that it would be less and less as the time went by.

With all that in mind, Blake suggested that when Francesca came back mid-week for the final fittings on the dresses, that they have dinner with his daughter, Samantha. Francesca happily agreed that it would be good to meet her.

Chloe had also stayed in town until Sunday, before her grandparents had come for lunch at the White House to pick her up. For simple ranch folk, having a meal in the most famous house in the country duly impressed them. They also promised that there was nothing in the world that would keep them from missing the wedding on Saturday.

Mac had the interview she'd set up with Stuart Dunston on Monday and the good press went a long way in sabotaging what the tabloids were trying to do to her reputation. She thanked him for what he'd done and as a reward, gave him the exclusive of the year. He would be the only reporter invited to the wedding.

The rest of the week seemed to pass in a blur. Mac had her fitting with Francesca mid-week and later learned from Blake that the dinner meeting with his daughter had gone well. Before she knew it, it was Friday, the day before her wedding, and as she crawled into bed that night she realized that she'd hardly caught a glimpse of Kenneth all week. So there she was, less than twelve hours before her wedding almost wishing she was still his body guard rather than his fiancée! 'Well,' she reasoned to herself, 'At least as his body guard, I got to see more of him than I have this past week!'

Just before she could work herself into a good depression over the fact that it probably would be the same after she became his wife, her cell phone rang. Seeing Kenneth's private cell phone number on her caller ID, Mac couldn't stop the smile warming her heart as she flipped open the phone and said a breathy, "Hello."

"Hey, you. Have you been missing me as much as I've missed you this last week?"

"Does it tell you anything if I say I was regretting no longer being your agent?"

"Because you saw more of me then?"

"Yes," she admitted sadly.

"I know, I've thought about that too, but as my agent, we wouldn't be able to spend every night snuggled in each other's arms, now would we?"

"No, but I know how late you work most nights and how often you have to be out of town…"

"When I go out of town, you'll be with me and a lot of my late nights are just spent reading reports and such. I can do that with you right next to me in our bed, if you wouldn't mind."

Brightening at just being able to talk with him, she felt her mischievous side take hold, "Oh I wouldn't mind, but don't think that I won't be trying to distract you!"

To be continued…..


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

With a fake sigh of resignation, Kenneth answered, "Great, I guess I'll just have to learn to fake my way through the meetings for the next day then."

"I guess you will," Mac laughed.

"Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

"I never tire of hearing it so feel free to tell me any time you like."

"Just think, in about twelve hours we'll be married!"

"Eleven hours, thirty-seven minutes, and fourteen seconds until the ceremony is scheduled to start, barring any world crisis that is."

"Oh, I've had all 'world crisis' put on hold until Monday, my darling," he teased.

"That's good to know!" she laughed at his silliness.

"All kidding aside, Sarah, I want you to know that I love you and even if there will be times my duty to this country has to come before you and the children, you are always first in my heart."

"I know that Kenneth, and I know about duty to country coming first as well. I will always have your back and you can rely on me to be there for the children when you can't. They're good kids and smart they'll understand. They know how much you love them."

"Good, but I want to make sure that you know that too. I have to tell you that during the hijacking when you sent the pod off, there was a brief moment when I resented what you'd done. Then you told me you loved me and my only thought was that if you were killed you would've never known that I loved you too. Sure I was worried about Laurel, what father wouldn't be? I knew that you would keep her safe, even without your promise to me, just because that is the kind of person you are. But I was so afraid for you! Because I know the kind of person you are, I knew that you were up then putting yourself in danger to save the day! I don't know if I could have gone on if something had happened to you."

"Of course you would have darling, and it's not that I doubt your love for me that I say that, but the fact that you have three wonderful children that need you. You would have gone on for them."

"I guess you're right, but there would never be another love for me."

"Didn't you feel that way after Donna died too…but look at us now…"

"No, actually after she died, I hoped that someday I would meet someone that I could love and that would love me in return. But, if something were to happen to you, I don't think I would ever want to love again."

"I know you feel that way now, and I'm not saying you should go out looking for another to love if you don't want to, but I've seen enough of life to know that we should always remain open to love coming our way. I've had some bad relationships that could easily have put me off loving again, but if I hadn't let my heart remain open to the possibility that love might one day find me, we wouldn't be here now."

"Alright, point taken. I won't go looking, but will keep a watchful eye for love to come my way. However, I hope to never have to keep that promise because I plan on having a very long and wonderful life with you and plan to die in my sleep when I'm very old still holding onto your hand."

"I hope so too, my love."

"Now I suppose I should let you get some sleep. We wouldn't want the bride to have bags under her eyes for the wedding would we?"

"I can hide bags with make up. I'd rather keep talking to you."

"Okay, maybe a bit longer, but remember tomorrow is our wedding night and you won't be catching up on any missed sleep then…or hopefully for many nights to come after that!"

"Goodnight, my love!" she said and hung up.

Kenneth was laughing so hard he could barely close his phone. Paul Gordon, who sat guard outside his door, wondered what could be so funny at that hour of the morning? Gordon had actually volunteered to guard 'the Stallion' that night. All of the other agents had wanted to be present at the wedding itself, so he'd said he would take the night shift both Friday and Saturday so the others could be at the ceremony.

To be continued…..


	72. Chapter 72

Chapter 72

Mac woke at her usual early hour and took her normal six minute shower. She never could understand why some women claimed to need so long to get ready for a big date. Or in her case today, big day. She didn't have any additional parts to wash, or have any reason to get herself any cleaner than normal either.

A leisurely, but lonely breakfast was next on her schedule. Because it was traditional for the groom not to see the bride before the ceremony, she ate alone while Kenneth shared his meal with the children.

Then her day got crazy. Her attendants began to arrive and with them, the hairdresser that Mac had been pushed into choosing. She argued long and hard with the woman not to have an elaborate hairstyle for the wedding. Mac wanted something simple. She insisted that she was not a fancy person. Even though the woman wanted this opportunity to shine and show off her talents, she also knew that if she didn't comply with Ms. Mackenzie's wishes, she wouldn't be called back when Mac became Mrs. Kennex, the First Lady of the country.

Next, her make up was done and then Francesca arrived with the dresses. All the ladies were getting dressed together, even Laurel, who had been sent to join the females by her father. Once they were all dressed, Harriett asked Mac what she had to fulfill the old saying, 'Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue'?

Harriett could tell by the blank look on her friend's face that Mac hadn't even thought about it. "Well, I wanted to make sure you had 'something borrowed' so I brought the garter I wore when I married Bud. Since it has a blue satin ribbon through the lace, it could be your 'something blue' too."

"Kenneth had this pearl necklace and earring set that was his grandmother's delivered to me this morning," Mac said, fingering the creamy strand around her neck tenderly.

"Great, that's 'something old' now what about 'something new'?" Chloe wanted to know.

"Well, my dress and shoes are new," Mac offered.

"Then it seems like we're good to go," Harriett replied as she began handing all the ladies their bouquets.

As they started out of the room, Mac asked Harriett, "Have you heard from Harm and Mattie? I got word that Sturgis had arrived, but nothing from Harm. He said they would try and be here…"

"They got into town last night and spent the night at Jen Coates apartment," Harriett told her.

"Good," Mac replied as they stepped out of the house and into the Rose Garden.

Peeking through the trellis of roses that hid the patio, where she was waiting for her cue, Mac saw that everything was as perfect as she could have hoped. Even with keeping the guest list to a minimum, there were still about thirty people in the white wooden folding chairs lining the satin covered path to the arbor where Chaplain Turner stood.

Kenneth, his Vice President, James Hobart, and the twins were already waiting. All of them were dressed in dove gray morning suits with boutonnières to match the flowers that the ladies were carrying. Mac's heart swelled as she saw how happy Kenneth looked. Maybe, at last, the cruel words that Harm had once said about her were finally going to be put to rest. She could still remember how hurt she'd been when he'd said, "Every man she's ever been married to, or involved with, is either dead, or wishes he was!"

The music signaled that it was time to start Laurel down the aisle. She walked up and took her place, as did Chloe right after her, then Harriett followed them. At last it was Mac's turn, and she proudly took her Uncle Joe's arm as the music changed to 'The Wedding March'.

"You're Uncle Matt asked me to tell you how proud of you he is, Sarah."

Mac looked up at him in surprise and Joe added, "I talked to him last night."

"Thank you Uncle Joe," she answered, giving his arm a squeeze.

As they started up the aisle, she had eyes only for Kenneth. Afterwards if anyone had asked, she couldn't have told them how she made it to him. Only that she had kept her gaze locked on his and that it was his strength that seemed to draw her to him.

To be continued…..


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

When Chaplain Turner asked, "Who gives this woman to be wed today?" Mac was surprised, but pleased to hear her Uncle Joe say, "For her Uncle Matt, I do." He then kissed both her cheeks and placed her hand in Kenneth's.

They had decided to go with traditional vows rather than something more modern or writing their own. So much about their lives was so untraditional that they felt this would be one step towards gaining acceptance. They had, however, decided to leave 'obey' out of the vows after a good laugh at the memory of Mac shoving him under the desk on Air Force One.

After Chaplain Turner pronounced them husband and wife, they shared a brief, but tender kiss, then went through a short receiving line. As the guests were shown into the dining room where a buffet luncheon was going to be served, the wedding party went to greet the press and to pose for some pictures. Kenneth and Mac answered a few questions and shared another kiss for the cameras, then excused themselves to join their guests.

Entering the dining room the happy couple were met with a polite round of applause. Realizing that everyone was waiting for the two of them to go through the buffet line first, Mac and Kenneth gathered up the children and started through.

The cook had outdone himself on the buffet. Asked simply to prepare a light lunch, he had instead gone all out as if creating a state dinner, and the cake was a dream! Why they needed five tiers for only forty people no one knew, but it was beautiful and tasted as good as it looked.

Luna and AJ Chegwidden were just reaching the end of the buffet table when she paused for a moment and sighing his name, gracefully slid to the ground in a faint. Her plate of food landed on the floor next to her, and AJ's would have been there too if Harriett hadn't acted quickly and grabbed his out of his hand as he went down on his knees next to his wife. Taking her in his arms, he gently patted her cheek. She was already coming around with an embarrassed sigh as she saw everyone staring at her.

"Darling, are you all right?" AJ questioned.

"Well I had intended to tell you tonight in private when we got home, but I guess I should put your mind at rest…I'm fine, or will be in about seven months…"

"Seven months!" he demanded, not at all happy that something was going to be affecting her for that long. Then seeing the tender smile on her face, he realized what she was trying to tell him. "You're pregnant? We're going to have a baby?!" he gasped.

"Well actually, I'm going to have the baby, but you did have a hand in getting things started…" she teased as he helped her to her feet with a blush at the laugh this caused from the guests.

The cleaning staff was already taking care of the mess on the carpet as everyone gathered around the couple to congratulate them.

Once the excitement had died down and everyone had settled at their tables, James Hobart stood and delivered a pleasant if uninspired best man's toast to the bridal couple. Harriett offered a very emotional and sentimental toast as matron-of-honor. A few of the guests then also rose to offer their congratulations. Bud's was humorous, as expected, and AJ, as her former CO, announced that he had known all along it would take another gun-ho Marine to win the heart of his former Chief of Staff.

Mac smiled as Kenneth thanked AJ and then her stomach clenched as she saw who stood next. Worried at what he would say, Mac braced herself and listened with dread to Harm.

"As Mac's former partner, I know just how hard she is to handle! You must be a very brave man Mr. President! I'm glad to see she has finally decided to settle down. Best wishes to you both," he said lifting his glass and then resuming his seat next to Mattie.

To be continued…..


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Figuring she'd just gotten off lucky, Mac gave a strained smile and was glad to see Chloe jump to her feet and offer a toast, "Well I guess if she couldn't have the sexy bald Admiral, the President of the United States could be considered just as good!" As the gasps died down, Chloe cheerfully continued, "But seriously folks, I have never seen Mac as happy as she is today and I think that is all to do with the cutie she just married! I hope that you will have a ton more kids so I can come to the White House a lot to baby sit!"

The shock of her little sister's toast held Mac speechless for what seemed to her an eternity, but in reality was really only a few seconds. Standing with knees that were a bit shaky, she said, "Thank you all for your toasts, but remind me never to let Chloe near the kiddie-cocktails again!" After the laughter died down, she went on, "Really though all kidding aside, I just want to say that I am the luckiest woman alive today, I have married the love of my life and plan to spend the rest of my life getting him into shape!"

Laughing Kenneth got to his feet and also offered his thanks for the well wishes, then added his personal answer to Sarah's speech, "All I can say to what Sarah said, is that I look forward to everything that she has planned for me!" The applause rang throughout the room and a few cheers could be heard as well.

Even though they had told their guests that no gifts were expected, Mac wasn't surprised to find a table near the front of the room with a pile of beautifully wrapped presents. Encouraged by Harriett, Kenneth and Mac began opening them after the cake had been served.

Mac smiled at the gift from the Roberts' family. It was a hinged double picture frame, on the left side there was a picture of Mac's old 'family', the staff at JAG, and on the right side of the frame was a picture taken at the Chegwidden's home of Mac, Kenneth, and the children, her new 'family' caught in a casual candid moment.

From the Chegwidden's they received a shadowbox containing a complete set of all the ribbons and medals the couple had earned during their Marine days. Both thanked them enthusiastically. There were a few other nice gifts, but none of them held as much meaning as those two.

Excusing herself for a few minutes, Mac left to change into her going-away outfit. Harriett and Francesca quickly followed her so the two of them could have a few minutes 'girl talk' before Mac left on her honeymoon. The three of them chatted about the ceremony and the excitement of finding out that Luna was going to have a baby. Mac and Harriett teased Francesca about being a 'big sister' at her age. Her reply of, "It's a good thing Papa is doing this now, before he has a son or daughter younger than his grandchildren!" had both of the other women laughing at the picture that would make. But that led their conversation off in another direction. They wanted to know how things were going with Francesca and Blake. Mac told her if she didn't 'fess up' she would just pry the info out of Blake himself.

Francesca told them that the two of them were getting close and had even talked about tentative plans for the future. Both women hugged her and wished her well as Mac hurried to finish changing and get back to Kenneth so they could take off.

Just before they got ready to walk out the door, Mac tossed her bouquet for all the single ladies to try and catch. No one was more surprised than Francesca when she was the one to catch it. However it didn't go unnoticed that Blake Darkhorse smiled when it happened. AJ sighed as Luna poked him in the ribs. He wasn't sure that he was ready to walk his daughter down the aisle yet. They had only so recently gotten back into each other's lives and he saw so little of her as it was. However, he had just gotten married a few months ago himself, and now a new baby on the way, he might be being just a bit selfish in his feelings, he told himself.

To be continued…..


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Because Blake had had the weekend before off, he would be one of the agents on guard during the honeymoon. He would have time off, but since he would be in Montana at the Kennex family estate, all he could offer Francesca was a few phone calls that weekend.

Even as Kenneth and Mac headed to the helicopter to be taken to the airport, the children were still protesting at not being allowed to go along. Kenneth tried to explain once again that people just didn't take their children on their honeymoons, to no avail. Finally he just put his foot down and told them they were staying with Nanny and the Secret Service agents. He promised that they would call every day while they were away. Mac was still amazed that he had managed to clear an entire week of his schedule. At best she'd only expected to have that weekend.

They boarded Air Force One at the airport to the cheers of a group of people that had gathered to see them off.

Kenneth figured that the four hour flight would be just long enough to initiate the master bedroom on the plane. After informing Sarah of this thought by whispering the request in her ear, he was pleased at her eager response. Informing Paul Gordon and Mike Rogers that they weren't to be disturbed, Kenneth swept Sarah up into his arms and carried her into the room, firmly closing and locking the door behind them.

With a tender smile Kenneth asked, "So how do you like being First Lady so far my love?"

Laying back in his arms to look up at his dear sweet face, Mac answered, "Well, so far I haven't seem much of the First Lady side of things, but I have a pretty good idea I'm going to thoroughly enjoy the next few hours of being Mrs. Kenneth Kennex!"

"I plan on doing everything in my power to see that you do!"

"I like that plan," she sighed, as he put her on her feet near the bed.

"So now I guess the question is whether we should undress ourselves or help each other do it?"

"Which do you prefer, my darling?" Mac asked, running her hands up his chest to lock them behind his head and bring his lips down to hers for a kiss.

When he could once again speak after the passion in her kiss, he kicked off his shoes and laid down on the bed with his arms pillowed under his head. Watching her intently, he said, "Don't let this get out to the voters, but I'm a bit of an old fashioned guy. I'd like to watch you undress for me."

"Oooooh, let me make a note for my 'tell all autobiography'!" she teased as she slowly and seductively began to remove her clothes.

A short time later she stood naked in front of him and could see the reaction this was causing in his body. Eyeing his growing arousal, she asked, "So just how 'old fashioned' are you? Should I remove your garments my Lord and Master?"

With a chuckle, he told her, "That might be a fun game for some other time, but right now I think things will go faster if we both work on getting me out of these things." While he'd been talking, he'd gotten up from the bed and stripped off his tie, flinging it aside and slid off his suit jacket.

When he reached for the buttons on his shirt he was pleased to find Sarah's fingers already there freeing him from his confinement. As soon as it was gone, she eagerly reached for his belt. Kenneth was thanking the fates that Sarah was an experienced woman. He remembered how hesitant and shy Donna had been on their wedding night. She had been a virgin and very worried about her first time. Kenneth didn't think he had the patience right then to take the extra time and care that a virgin should have. He wanted Sarah and wanted her very soon!

Finally as naked as his bride was, Kenneth took her into his arms and began kissing every inch of her body. She was gorgeous and he wanted to worship her as she should be.

To be continued…..


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Mac managed to remain standing as he kissed his way down her throat on his way to her breasts. She even managed to firm up her weakening knees as he caressed, nibbled, and sucked on her breasts paying special attention to her sensitive nipples. She was a former Marine after all; she had been trained to withstand torture.

Feeling he had given her luscious breasts enough attention, Kenneth proceeded to kiss his way down her tummy pausing only a moment to teasingly stick his tongue into her belly button. Mac was quivering by the time he knelt down in front of her. Her curls were already damp with her excitement and she made a sound between a moan and a groan when he nudged her legs farther apart.

He was about to reach out and part her folds when he felt her sway. Holding onto her hips so she wouldn't fall, he quickly got to his feet and lifted her into his arms. Placing her gently in the middle of the bed he paused a moment to enjoy the vision she presented before joining her.

"Sarah, I want to make this perfect for you, but I'm not sure how much longer I can wait. It's been a long time for me…"

She shushed him with a finger to his lips and said, "It has been perfect and I'm ready for you now." She knew there would be as much time in the future, as they needed for slower, gentler lovemaking. If she didn't count her 'toys' it had been about eighteen months since she'd had sex, but from what little Kenneth had said, she could only think his last lover had to have been his late wife. So for him it had been over two years, and considering her health at the end, probably closer to three.

Kissing her passionately, Kenneth positioned himself between her thighs. Taking his shaft in his hand he ran it up and down her folds. Thrilled by the moisture he found there telling him of her readiness for him. Needing to slow down just a bit so he didn't just 'take her', his eyes met hers and he tried to convey with just a look how much she meant to him.

With a smile she told him, "I love you too, you know. Now make me yours before I flip us over and make you mine!"

Uttering a shout of laughter, he did just that, and once he was completely ensconced within her welcoming body said, "I think I'd be very happy to be made yours as soon as we recover from you becoming mine!"

"Well then, let's get busy, you sexy thing you!" she instructed, as she began to move her hips under him letting him know she was more than ready.

Kenneth needed no more encouragement. He started to move steadily in and out of her. Pausing as he withdrew to just the head of his shaft before thrusting into her again. This was driving Mac wild, she was so close and each time he paused like that, it cooled her down just enough to pull her back from the edge.

Her head was thrashing back and forth on the pillow. Her hands were balled into fists around wads of the bed sheets. Her eyes were closed tightly as if she were in pain. Her heels were digging into the mattress so she could meet each of his thrusts with ones of her own. Growls of frustration were coming from between her clenched teeth.

He just smiled down at her and kept up the teasing pace that had her right on the brink, but wouldn't let her topple over.

"DAMN IT KENNETH…NOW!" she shouted.

"What do you say?" he questioned softly bending forward so his lips caressed her ear.

Her eyes popped open as she realized that he was waiting for just one word from her…possibly had been doing that all along…she would have to kill him for that later…but for now she breathlessly whispered, "Pleeassse!"

Without hesitation he picked up the pace thrusting into her fast and furiously until both of them were gasping for air. Then, in between one heartbeat and the next, it happened. They both called out each others names and fell off the edge of the world together.

To be continued…..


	77. Chapter 77

Chapter 77

They lay cuddled in each other's arms recovering, sharing light kisses and words of love. Mac still found it hard to believe that she was finally married to a man she loved and respected. She couldn't ever remember being this happy in her life.

Kenneth stared into the beautiful face of the woman in his arms. After Donna's betrayal he hadn't thought he would ever love again. But this wonderful woman he was now married to made him happier than he could ever remember being.

Rising up on the bed, Mac leaned over and teasingly kissed the tip of her husband's nose. "So are you ready to become 'mine' now Mr. President?"

"Yes Ma'am! I certainly am!" he replied and gave a gasp of pleasure as her kissed roamed down his neck until they reached one of his nipples.

Mac sucked and nibbled on him, just as he had done to her, and when his nub had formed a hard peak she switched sides to give his other nipple the same treatment. She could feel the evidence of the reaction his body was having in response to her actions nudging against her hip.

Kissing her way down his stomach, she at last reached her goal. His shaft was already semi-hard again and gave a delighted jump when she took hold of him. Mac could taste remnants of both their bodily fluids on his manhood and this aroused her even more. Running her tongue up and down his length, she removed the traces of their lovemaking, replacing it with her saliva.

Kenneth watched in awe as Sarah gave him head. He'd never had that done to him before. Donna had considered it disgusting and downright 'yucky'. The sensations of Sarah's mouth on his cock were nothing short of amazing. He truly believed that nothing else could ever feel that good. Well, that was until she took him in her mouth and deep-throated him!

The tightness of her convulsing throat muscles was nearly his undoing. After just a few seconds of that incredible sensation he begged her to stop. "Sarah, if you're going to ride me, you need to stop now or there will be nothing to ride!"

Looking up at him, she let his cock slide out of her mouth and with a grin said, "Decisions, decisions! What ever shall I do?"

"What ever you like darling, but I just thought you should know how close I was."

Throwing one shapely leg over his hips, she smiled seductively down at him, "I like you, and I like that you're secure enough in your masculinity to let me take the lead like this. It's a great turn on!"

"Well, since I like you 'turned on', I'll have to do it more often!" he grinned.

"Oh Kenneth, we have so much to explore and experience together! I can't wait!"

"Neither can I my love, and speaking of 'can't wait'…were you just planning on napping up there on me or was something more exciting going to happen?"

"Oooooh…I'll show you napping!" she declared and began rubbing her sex on his now fully erect shaft. The moan she got from that action filled her with satisfaction. Taking him in her hand, she guided him to her entrance and then slowly sank down on him.

Kenneth reached up to caress her breasts as she rode him. He loved the look on her face, her head was thrown back, her eyes were closed, and her lips were open as she panted with desire. The bliss on her face was almost more than he could take. She was such a wonderfully passionate woman and he was eternally grateful that she had chosen him to love.

He could tell from the shortness of her breathing that she was fast approaching her orgasm and he knew that he was close as well. Taking both her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers he waited for her to take her next breath. When he gave her nipples a sharp little pinch, several things happened at once; her eyes popped open in surprise, she gasped, and with a full body shudder she came as his seed flooded into her body.

To be continued…..


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Mac collapsed on Kenneth's chest and his arms came up to enfold her as they backed in the afterglow of their lovemaking. "You know if we weren't flying several thousand feet in the air, I would say you'd just made the earth move!" she whispered fiercely in his ear.

With a self-satisfied smirk at her compliment, he suggested, "It was probably an air-pocket."

Mumbling a protest at his silliness, she rolled off him to lie by his side and let herself relax into sleep. Kenneth smiled at her serenely peaceful face and pulled the sheet up over their tired bodies. Nestling her closer into his arms, he allowed sleep to come to him as well.

Her internal clock woke her a while later and she knew that she needed to wake Kenneth too. Reluctantly doing so, she told him when he opened his eyes, "I'm sorry darling, but it's only forty-five minutes till we land. If we want to get a shower and dress before then, we need to get up now."

"We can shower together and save time," he offered with a leer and a wink.

"Oh yeah! That would really save time!"

"Whatever do you mean Sarah?" he questioned innocently.

"Don't give me that Kenneth Kennex! I can tell by that look in your eye that you have more on your mind than just getting clean!"

"And you object to that?" he teased.

"Not at all! At this stage in our married life, I'd be disappointed if you weren't thinking along those lines! I was merely pointing out that if we 'shower' together with what you have in mind, it would probably be faster if we showered separately."

"But not nearly as much fun!" he informed her, climbing out of the bed and holding out his hand in an invitation to her.

With a giggle, she took it, got out of bed, and gladly followed him into the bathroom. Kenneth turned on the water to let it warm up before they got in and Mac told him she would be right back. "Where are you going?" he wanted to know.

"I forgot my shampoo and such. I'll be right back, don't worry," she teased.

"Sarah, there's no need. That's why we have a staff, my love."

"Huh?" she was confused as to his meaning.

Opening the shower door he motioned for her to look inside. There on a shelf were all of her favorite bath time products; the new bottles were sitting right next to half empty ones that she assumed to be Kenneth's. "How did…Elaina?"

"I don't know who is responsible I only know that little things like this are taken care of so we can concentrate on more important things."

Still a little disconcerted that her needs were being met by some unknown person, Mac wondered if she would ever get used to this kind of lifestyle. "I see," she said softly.

"Does it bother you? I could tell the staff you would prefer to shop for your own things…" he offered.

"No, it's fine darling, just not something I'm used to. But it will leave us more time for other things."

"Yes, I think it was those 'other things' that brought us in here in the first place."

"I believe you're right! But we'd better hurry we only have thirty-three minutes now."

"I wish I knew how you do that! However there's really no need to worry, we are the only passengers and they won't throw us off the plane the minute we land."

Mac laughed as they stepped into the shower, "I keep forgetting that!"

Kenneth looked over the new items in the shower that had been his alone since taking office and picked up the white net bath sponge and a tube labeled 'body gel'. Squeezing some onto the sponge he worked up a sweet smelling lather and then turned back to face Sarah.

"And just what is the big bad Marine going to do with my bath sponge?"

To be continued…..


	79. Chapter 79

Chapter 79

"This," was the only reply, Kenneth gave, but he began to caress Sarah with the sponge and his hand. Starting at her neck and working his way down, he lovingly washed every inch of her body. He had maneuvered his way down to her mound and then skipped over it to attend to her shapely, well-muscled legs. He even made her lift her feet so he could wash the bottoms of them. By the time he had cleansed every part of her except her womanhood, Mac was moaning in frustration.

Steadying her with his free hand, Kenneth nudged her legs farther apart and gently ran the sponge over her most tender flesh. She was panting with desire long before he finished. Putting the sponge back onto the shelf, he unhooked the handheld showerhead and proceeded to rinse her off. When the pulsing water from the showerhead hit her clit, she came, calling out his name.

Holding her 'til she was once again steady on her feet, Kenneth turned her around to face the back wall of the shower. There was a handrail there because when the bath had been remodeled it had been made handicapped accessible. Kenneth suggested that she hold on to it, without saying why.

He maneuvered her back just a bit and bent her over slightly. She looked back over her shoulder at him and grinned when she saw that he was stroking his cock. Mac had a feeling that she knew what was coming and that she was going to love it!

"Are you ready for me, Sarah?" he asked running his cock along her wet folds.

"Always my love, always!" was her reply as she wiggled her fanny at him.

Taking her at her word, Kenneth drove home with one thrust. She gasped at the feeling of fullness and bent over farther to accommodate him. "I love having you deep inside of me!" she told him.

"Good, because I love being here," he answered as he got a firm grip on her hips and then began moving in and out of her at a pace she knew would send them both over the edge rather quickly.

"Oh god, Kenneth, give it to me!" Mac cried out. Having him hammering into her from behind like this was so kinky and exciting. Knowing that he would never hurt her, she felt safe in encouraging him to go all out.

Trusting her to know what she could take, Kenneth increased the force of his thrusts and the pace until he was practically pounding in and out of her. It felt so wild and free.

Both of them were taken by surprise as their orgasms began. After the world stopped shaking, both of them moved towards the built in seat at the same time. On shaky legs, they laughed and Kenneth solved the problem. He sat down and pulled Sarah onto his lap.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're an amazing lover?" Mac asked as she snuggled into his arms.

"No, but I'm glad that you think so. I have a feeling that every sexual fantasy that I've ever had will come true now that you're in my life Sarah Kennex!"

"Ooooh I like that name! And I do hope so about the fantasies! Why don't we try for one a day 'til you run out and then we can start on mine?"

"Or better yet, we could alternate!" he suggested.

"I like that idea too! But for now why don't we finish showering and get dressed? We'll be landing any time now."

"Remember, the staff waits on us, not we on them, Sarah," Kenneth gently reminded her.

"I know, but I just hate the thought of them out there speculating on what we are doing in here…"

"Sarah!" he laughed. "We got married just hours ago and the minute we could be alone we headed to a bedroom. Do you really think they are speculating on what we are doing or do you think they have a pretty darn good idea of what has been going on in here?!" he teased.

"Oh all right you!" she muttered. "I guess I just didn't want them sitting there waiting on us to finishing having sex before we moved to the estate!"

To be continued…..


	80. Chapter 80

Chapter 80

Kenneth's laugh was interrupted by a knock on the door. Paul Gordon was certainly surprised with Mac opening the door, when he knocked to inform the newlyweds that they would be landing in ten minutes. As he began to tell her of the time limit, she interrupted with, "I know, ten minutes. We're ready now," she told him as they both came out fully dressed.

Choosing to sit with the agents in the comfortable seats in the lounge, they belted themselves in for the landing. Their six agents were all there and already belted in.

Mike Rogers, Blake Darkhorse, and Elaina Lopez were there to guard Mrs. Kennex. Paul Gordon, Scott Jessup, and Tim Hodge were the agents there for Kenneth. Gonzales had been scheduled to be on duty, but his five year old daughter's appendix had burst in the middle of last night, so he and his wife were at the hospital with the little girl today.

Once they exited the plane there would be two vehicles waiting. Kenneth and Mac would be escorted to the second one and one agent each would travel with them. The other agents would be in the lead vehicle. A helicopter would also be a part of the escort detail to the estate. Both Mac and Kenneth thought that was a bit much for a honeymoon, but Joe Leland insisted. Because her Uncle Joe was so insistent, Mac decided to go along and even convinced Kenneth not to protest any more either. She learned long ago to trust her instincts, and if Uncle Joe's said they should have the extra protection, then she wasn't going to argue.

Gordon and Rogers would be in the SUV with Kenneth and Sarah. As agent for the President, Gordon would ride in the back with them and Rogers would ride up front with the driver. Everything went smoothly in the transfer from Air Force One to the vehicles. They were about fifteen minutes into the pleasant evening ride to the estate before any of that changed.

Kenneth had just told Sarah that they were about half way to the estate when there was a small explosion in the engine of the lead vehicle. The hood of the SUV flew up, hitting the windshield, and fire could be seen coming from the engine. The four agents and the driver scrambled out of the vehicle. They looked back at the following SUV with Kenneth and Mac on board expecting it to stop. However, that wasn't what happened.

The second vehicle pulled around them and drove right on by. No one was more surprised than Kenneth and Mac when this happened. Rogers and Gordon were just demanding that the driver go back when they all heard a soft pop. As if in slow motion, Rogers slumped as far forward as his seatbelt would let him.

In the next heartbeat Mac had hit the button on her armrest that raised the bulletproof panel between the front and back seats. Paul was calling out to Mike over the headset they were wearing, but was getting no answer. Next he notified the other agents that were still at the first vehicle and the helicopter as to what was happening. The helicopter was still following them and had already called for emergency backup; they now added an ambulance to that list.

Knowing the route to his family estate very well, Kenneth informed Paul and Mac that they would be going under an overpass in about half a mile. If this was a kidnapping attempt Kenneth said, that is where he would have a transfer vehicle and more men waiting, if he were the one planning this. Both of them agreed with that assessment and began to throw out ideas of how to solve the problem. It was clear that whatever they were going to do would need to be done quickly before they got to the overpass.

To be continued…..


	81. Chapter 81

Chapter 81

Since Paul had the only weapon, he instructed both Kenneth and Mac to get down on the floor. Mac could reach up and hit the button to drop the bulletproof panel and Paul would shoot the driver. It was a flat straight road with few trees. So, it was hoped that when the driver was shot, his foot would leave the gas and the SUV would just roll to a stop.

Kenneth suggested that Paul tell the helicopter the plan, but Paul didn't think they could afford the time. Once on the floor, Mac put the plan into action. Kenneth caught the smile from the driver when the panel went down, which quickly changed to one of shock as Paul raised his gun and shot the man. As expected, the driver's foot came off the gas pedal and the vehicle began to slow.

With everything now under control, Paul informed the helicopter of Kenneth's suspicions about the overpass and directed them to check it out, so, if true, they didn't get away. The pilot agreed and told Paul that the other agents were on their way to them to assist.

Mac had climbed over Kenneth and was out the door before the SUV had come to a complete stop. She yanked open the front passenger door to check on Mike Rogers. Kenneth was right behind her and Paul followed him out of the back seat. Knowing his time was short because he could already hear the agents from the first vehicle approaching, Paul had to act fast.

Mac saw the large bloodstain on Mike's side and after putting her head on his chest, could faintly hear shallow gurgling breaths. From that, as well as the trickle of frothy blood coming from his mouth, she knew that the shot had to have punctured a lung, but there could be other internal injuries that she couldn't detect.

Gordon had moved far enough away from the couple so there was no way they could reach out and get his weapon. The woman who had been brought in over him was so focused on the injured, or dead, agent that she had no idea what was going on behind her. Even 'Mister-I'm-so-busy-to-keep-my-wife-happy' was clueless as to what was about to happen.

Getting the helicopter leave them had been a stroke of genesis on his part, Paul felt, but having the other agents fast approaching hadn't been part of the plan. No matter, they were still far enough away and it was dark enough that they wouldn't be able to see what was going on. He was determined to come out of this looking like a hero!

"We need to get the helo back fast! Mike is still alive and needs immediate attention," Mac shouted over her shoulder. She wasn't aware that the two men weren't listening to her as she started to bend over Mike's unconscious body to release his seatbelt.

Kenneth had somehow registered the fact that Paul had moved away from them. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed the glint of one of the headlights on the metal of Agent Gordon's gun, and he turned to face the man. Without conscious thought he had put his body between Paul's and Sarah's, instinctively protecting her. Very quietly he asked, "What part are you playing in all this Paul?"

Gordon gave a snort and replied, "He," motioning towards the driver, "wanted payback for the death of his uncle in the hijacking fiasco. He thought I was going along with him for the money he was willing to pay me, but…"

Interrupting him, Kenneth said, "But that wasn't part of your agenda."

Not able to hear what her new husband and his agent were talking about because of her position in the SUV, Mac nonetheless felt a strange sense of unease. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up and all of a sudden she had a compelling feeling that Kenneth was in danger of being shot. This was the same kind of feeling that she had gotten when Harm and Chloe had been missing and she had been able to locate them, so she had no reason to doubt that what she was feeling was very real.

Mac's glance went to the driver first, thinking that if there were a further threat to Kenneth's life, it would come from him. But he hadn't moved and a quick check of his pulse told her he was dead. So the threat had to be coming from somewhere else. Slowly straightening up in the hopes of not being noticed by anyone in league with the driver, she found herself back to back with Kenneth just as Paul Gordon replied to something her husband had obviously asked, "No, my agenda is to kill you!"

Switching to 'combat mode' in an instant, Mac lifted her leg and kicked Kenneth behind the knee. As he went down with an exclamation of surprise, she spun around and covered his body with hers, just as two shots rang out in quick succession.

To be continued…..


	82. Chapter 82

Chapter 82

The first shot hit Mac as she threw herself over Kenneth. They both fell so fast that the second bullet hit Mike Rogers where he sat in the front seat of the SUV.

In the next few seconds so many things happened at once that it seemed like everything was occurring in slow motion.

As they fell, Kenneth's arms had wrapped themselves around Sarah and after they landed on the hard ground, he became aware that his left hand was covering something warm and wet on her back.

The pain from the second shot entering his body shocked Mike back to consciousness. He raised his head as much as he was able to and quickly tried to access the situation through the terrible pain he was in.

When Kenneth realized Sarah had been shot and started begging her to speak to him, Paul Gordon became aware that he'd missed his target. He'd figured that he'd have to kill her too, but his main goal had been Kennex himself. He cursed aloud and approached the two still on the ground.

Pinned under Sarah's body, Kenneth was helpless as Gordon came closer. "You know, I offered to keep this wife as happy for you as I did your first one, but she had the gall to refuse me!" Gordon taunted.

"Good taste, you mean! So it was your child Donna was carrying?"

"She was pregnant?" he gasped.

"Yes, about three months along when she died."

Paul shook his head as if shaking off the pain of that thought and said, "Well, it doesn't matter now, because both you and the new wife will soon be dead too!"

As Paul raised his gun to fire, Mike's hand emerged from his jacket and his weak voice rasped, "Not on my watch!" The shot hit Gordon right between the eyes. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

Kenneth wriggled out from under Sarah as gently as possible so as not to move her more than he had to. He quickly tried to assess her injuries as the other agents began to arrive. Sparing a quick glance up at Mike, Kenneth told him, "Hang in there, help is almost here!"

"Just save Mac, Sir! Please save her!" Mike pleaded and passed out again.

Blake bent over Mac as Jessup stood over Kenneth. The other two agents, Lopez and Hodge, checked on the others. The driver and Gordon were dead and Rogers was in a bad way. Lopez stayed bedside him as Hodge returned to the President and his wife.

The helicopter returned just as the emergency crews pulled up. Mac and Mike were quickly loaded on stretchers and placed into the ambulance. Kenneth started to get in with his wife when Scott Jessup put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Sir where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"With my wife!" Kenneth snapped.

"You need to go in the helo with us Sir, and we need a debriefing on what happened here."

"You can question me in the ambulance or at the hospital, but I AM going with Sarah!" Kenneth informed and climbed in beside his wife.

His two agents stood there helplessly as the doors were closed in their faces. The back of the ambulance was full. Blake, who had climbed in when Mac was put in the vehicle, called over his headset that he would watch over Kenneth as well until the others arrived at the hospital.

The ride to the hospital was short and both Blake and Kenneth tried to keep out of the way as the crew worked on both Mac and Mike. Mac did regain consciousness for just a moment while en route, calling out Kenneth's name. He reached out and squeezed her hand, telling her, "I'm here darling, be still now." She was out again almost before he stopped speaking.

At the hospital, both she and Mike were rushed into surgery. Kenneth and Blake were escorted into a private waiting area where Kenneth was asked to fill out the traditional paperwork that went with being admitted to the hospital. Before he was even able to start it, the door to the room opened and the guards that entered were faced with the business end of Blake's gun.

To be continued…..


	83. Chapter 83

Chapter 83

They had arrived so quickly because the helicopter had brought them in. Blake, frowning at them for not alerting him via the headset, holstered his gun and left to station himself outside the OR doors. Now that the other agents were there to guard the President he could return to his primary job. Back in the waiting room the questioning began.

"Gentlemen, and lady," Kenneth gave Elaina a half smile, "I know this is important, but so is getting Sarah's information to the hospital. Let me finish these forms and I will answer all your questions."

Elaina smiled at him gently and took the stack out of his hands. She passed out the forms to the agents that knew the information as well as Kenneth did and pens came out as they all set to work. The only thing left for Kenneth to do was to sign the authorization for treatment forms. The packet was quickly handed over to the aid and the questioning began.

He explained everything several times, going over it again and again. Finally putting his foot down, Kenneth refused to go over things anymore until he got an update on Sarah.

Agent Lopez said she would go to the desk and request one. She came back nearly twenty minutes later looking grim. Kenneth got to his feet and tried to brace himself for the worst.

"There's no word on the First Lady Sir. Blake said no one has come out of the OR to give him updates. They just seem to be working very hard on her. I also asked about Agent Rogers. The news is not good, Sir. They lost him on the table twice, and although they were able to bring him back, there's a lot of internal damage. Both of his lungs have collapsed and they aren't giving him much of a chance."

"I'm very sorry to hear that. He's a very brave man and took that second bullet trying to save Sarah's life and mine. I'll make sure he gets a medal for that. Does anyone know if he has family we should call?" Kenneth asked the agents.

"No, Sir, he doesn't," Jessup replied.

"Speaking of family, I'd better call Sarah's Uncle Joe." Kenneth was flipping open his cell phone when Elaina stopped him with a hand on his arm. She was listening intently to her headset, as were the others.

"Sir, they just took the First Lady to recovery. Agent Darkhorse says she came through fine and her doctor is on the way to talk to you."

Just as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man in surgical scrubs entered the room. The agents instinctively closed ranks around Kenneth and Agent Hodge stepped forward to search the man.

"I don't think that's necessary Hodge," Kenneth told him, purposefully stepping around his other agents to approach the doctor. "I'm Kenneth Kennex, doctor. How is my wife?"

"I know who you are, Sir. It would be hard not to. May I say that it's an honor to meet you, although I wish it were under better circumstances. Your wife is a fighter, Sir! The bullet entered her back just above the waist and should have followed a straight path through her, but for some reason we can't explain the trajectory was upward, not straight."

"She knocked me to the ground and dived on top of me," Kenneth answered.

"That would explain it. You have a brave lady there, Mr. President!"

"Too brave at times I think!"

"That may well be, Sir. Because of the upward path of the bullet, it hit her kidney instead of passing right through. It caused extensive damage, and unfortunately we weren't able to save the kidney. However, other than that, she should make a full recovery."

"Thank you, doctor. How soon can I see her?"

"She should be out of recovery in an hour and moved into a private room then. You can be with her at that time."

"Thank you again, doctor," Kenneth said and the man left the room.

"Sir, the press have gotten wind of what happened and are gathering in the lobby. They would like a statement of some kind, would you like one of us to make it?" Jessup asked.

To be continued…..


	84. Chapter 84

Chapter 84

"Thank you Scott, but I'll go. It'll be an hour 'til I can see Sarah anyway, plus it'll give me something to do. Before I go down though, will you see if you can get me an update on Rogers' condition?"

"Yes Sir!" Jessup replied.

Several minutes later he came back with the requested information.

Mrs. Casey, the hospital administrator, was trying to keep the press corralled when Kenneth and the agents entered the lobby. With a relieved sigh, after Jessup informed her the President would speak to them, she had the honor of introducing him and telling the press the President would issue a statement.

Kenneth stepped up to the front of the room and waited for everyone to be quiet before he began speaking. "I have been told by Sarah's doctor that she came through surgery just fine and she is expected to make a full recovery. Agent Mike Rogers, who was also injured, has just come out of surgery as well, but remains in critical condition at this time. I'm sure both of them would appreciate any prayers or well wishes that you might want to offer for them."

As soon as he stopped speaking, several hands went up wanting permission to ask questions. The less polite, just shouted them out. The main ones he heard were, "Wasn't there an agent killed as well?" and "Can you give us more details on what actually happened?"

Kenneth answered both briefly, "Yes, Agent Paul Gordon was pronounced dead at the scene and I can't give you anymore information at this time because the events are still under investigation."

"But you were there Sir, surely you can tell us what you saw!" one reporter insisted.

Ignoring him, Kenneth pointed to a woman with her hand up. "If you can't tell us what happened, Sir, would you at least tell us what injuries the First Lady sustained?"

"She was shot and the doctor's had to remove her kidney."

"How will that affect your honeymoon, Mr. President?"

Kenneth stared at the man incredulously, he was hard pressed to keep his cool at the man's lack of sensitivity. Finally, after a long pause, he replied, "I promised her a honeymoon she'd never forget…the scar should be a wonderful reminder…don't you think?"

As the shock of his answer, as well as the looks of condemnation directed at the insensitive reporter faded, hands once again shot into the air with more questions. At least this time the bolder ones were not calling out. "No more questions now, I need to be with my wife when she wakes," Kenneth told them and was quickly escorted away by the secret service agents.

The President and agents were shown to a private room that he was told Sarah would be brought to as soon as she regained consciousness. Hodge and Jessup took up their positions on either side of the door after sweeping the room to make sure it was secure.

Kenneth went in and sat down, Elaina Lopez entered the room with him, but after ten minutes of watching him stare at the empty bed, she asked him if he would mind her going on a coffee run. The absent-minded wave of his hand told her much about his state of mind.

Elaina opened the door asked Hodge and Jessup what they wanted and then headed to the cafeteria. She had just gotten to the cashier when word came that Gonzales and Warren were on their way to replace Gordon and Rogers. It seemed that after hearing what had happened, Gonzales had insisted on being sent. He said that his wife and daughter understood it was something he needed to do. Joe Leland had asked for, and has gotten an update on Sarah's condition and had sent along a message for both Kenneth and Sarah.

When Jessup got that message, he knocked on the door and entered. Kenneth was still just sitting there staring at the bed. "Sir, Director Leland asked me to tell you that his thoughts and prayers are with you and the First Lady. He added that if there was anything he could do, you had only to let him know."

To be continued…..


	85. Chapter 85

Chapter 85

"Thank you Scott, I should have called him myself," Kenneth replied.

"I believe he understands, Sir. Maybe you could call him when he could say a few words to your wife?"

"That's a good idea, thank you again."

"No problem Sir. I'd just like to add that we all like and respect the First Lady, Sir, and if there is anything any of us can do for the two of you, we'd be glad to."

"If I can think of anything I'll be sure to let you know."

"Alright Sir." Jessup was about to leave the room when he paused, listened to something on his headset and then smiled. "The Warrior Princess is on her way, Sir. Agent Darkhorse said she was asking how soon she could resume her honeymoon as they wheeled her passed him."

Kenneth gave his first laugh since leaving the plane hours before and said, "Now I know she'll be alright!"

"It does sound that way, Sir."

Minutes later, the gurney carrying Mac was wheeled into the room with Blake close by her side. She was quickly and efficiently transferred into the bed and once she was settled, people started leaving the room. The last nurse told Kenneth, "Don't be surprised if she isn't real coherent at first, and she'll be going in and out of sleep pretty frequently for a while."

"Thank you, nurse."

"Sir, now that Agent Darkhorse is back, I'd like to start rotating us off for a dinner break, if that's alright with you?" Jessup asked after the nurse left.

"That's fine," Kenneth replied.

"I know you won't want to leave her Sir. Can one of us bring you back anything to eat?" Blake questioned.

"Sure," he answered knowing he should eat, but not really caring what. "Any thing that looks good will do."

"Sir, it's a hospital cafeteria…"

"Right, I forgot. Alright, anything that looks edible."

Finally alone in the room with Sarah, he moved his chair closer to the bed and took her hand in his. She had drifted back to sleep on the ride down from recovery and hadn't stirred at all since arriving in her room. Kenneth just sat there staring into her sleeping face and wondering what he would have done if he'd lost her.

That was why he might have been just a little sharper with her when she opened her eyes than he'd intended. She whispered his name as soon as she saw him and tried to smile. He had just realized how bleak his life would have been without her right before her eyes opened. Even though he would still have the children, Sarah was the one that made his heart sing.

He got to his feet and leaned over her demanding, "Sarah, what the hell did you think you were doing when you pushed me out of the way like that?"

The faintest smile curved her lips as she answered, "Well, when duty calls, a Marine always answers."

"Sarah! You're no longer a Marine and you could have been killed! Don't ever do anything like that again!"

"Kenneth, if you had died, my life would have been over anyway. What's a bullet wound compared to your death? Sorry my love, but I'd do it all over again."

"Please don't, my love! I couldn't live without you either!"

"Did you find out why Gordon did all this?"

"Yes, but we can talk about it when you've had some rest," he told her firmly.

She was almost asleep again when her mind remembered something. "Mike! Is he…"

"He's out of surgery, but still in critical condition. He saved both our lives, you know. I was going to check on him and thank him as soon as I knew you were okay."

"Thank him for me too, darling," she whispered as she finally surrendered to sleep.

"I will," he assured her even though she couldn't hear him.

To be continued…..


	86. Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Kenneth knew that the chances that Mike Rogers would be awake if he just happened by for a visit would be slim to none. Even if there were others who would doubt it, he was sure that just his Presidential presence in the room wouldn't be enough to wake a man in critical condition. So he asked to be informed as soon as Mike was awake and able to talk.

A while later, his dinner was brought in by Agent Hodge and he was informed that Gonzales and Warren had landed and would be at the hospital shortly. When they arrived, the agents would trade off, and two of the four that had been on duty would go for a sleep break at a nearby hotel. Kenneth suggested that all four go since he and Sarah would be in the same room. Gonzales and Warren should be enough to guard the door.

"But if you get the call that Agent Rogers is awake and want to go talk to him then there would only be one agent each for you Sir," Jessup protested.

"I really doubt I'll be able to talk to Rogers before morning. Please let everyone get some rest."

"And you, Sir?"

"I can sleep sitting up. God knows I've slept in worse places than this chair."

"Alright Sir, and may I say we're all glad that the First Lady is doing as well as she is?"

"Thank you, Scott. I'll be sure and tell her the next time she wakes."

Sarah woke a couple of times during the night and they spoke to each other softly. He apologized for being so hard on her when she woke and she forgave him. He passed along the message from the agents and she asked him to thank them for her. He told her that he hadn't seen Mike yet, but after what he'd discovered he could no longer be Mac's guard, she wanted to ask why, but had fallen back asleep before she could.

The four rested agents returned just as breakfast was being served. They relieved Gonzales and Warren so they could get some sleep. They had also stopped for donuts and coffee on their way in after remembering dinner the night before. Kenneth gratefully accepted their offer to share.

Mac woke to the smell of coffee. She moaned and licked her lips. "I hope you brought some for me too," were her first words as she started at Blake who was holding the tray of cups out to Kenneth.

"No, Ma'am we didn't. We didn't think you'd be allowed coffee this soon," he responded.

"She isn't," Kenneth informed him.

With a snort, Mac glared at Blake and said, "Good god man, you used to be a SEAL! Sneak it into my IV if you have to!"

With a laugh at her feistiness, Blake left the room after Kenneth took a couple of donuts from the box.

"I suppose you're going to sit there and enjoy that in front of me and not offer me any, aren't you?!" she grumbled, looking at her husband and the sweet treat in his hand.

"Yes I am," he smiled at her taking a healthy sip of coffee and a big bite of the glazed donut.

"Pig!"

Kenneth had a hard time not spraying his meal across the bed as he laughed at her comment. Just as he was recovering, Sarah asked him to explain what he'd meant during the night about Mike not being able to be her agent any longer. Before he could answer, Hodge poked his head into the room to tell Kenneth that the Agent Rogers' was awake.

"I'll tell you all about it when I get back, Sarah," he told her giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"You know I hate being out of the loop! And that wasn't much of a kiss!" she called after him as he left the room.

All four agents heard that as the door opened and were still chuckling about it as two of them hurried to follow Kenneth to Rogers' room. As the three men walked passed the nurses' station they were informed that Agent Rogers had spent a good night and that his condition had been upgraded from critical to guarded. It seemed that Mike was already on the road to recovery.

To be continued…..


	87. Chapter 87

Chapter 87

"I need to speak to him alone," Kenneth told Jessup and Hodge when they got to the door. With a nod they agreed, but still Jessup still went into the room to check it out for his safety.

Kenneth could hear the two men exchange a few words before Jessup came back out and gave the all clear report. He entered alone, not quite sure how either of them were going to handle what needed to be said.

As he entered the room Rogers tried to straighten up in the bed, but winced and stopped before he could complete the move. Kenneth was already waving him to stop; he didn't want the young man in any more pain than he was already in. "As you were Rogers," Kenneth instructed him. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, they have me pretty doped up right now Sir, but I have been better."

"I can imagine. I wanted to come by personally and thank you for what you did for Sarah and I last night."

"It was nothing Sir. All in the line of duty."

"That's an admirable sentiment, but nonetheless, you saved our lives and I'll be forever in your debt for that. Sarah also wanted me to convey her thanks and gratitude to you."

"I appreciate that Sir. She's a very special woman."

"Yes she is, and that brings me to the second reason I'm here."

"And that would be Sir?" Mike was all of a sudden looking both uncomfortable and nervous at the same time."

"Your feelings for the First Lady."

"I admire and respect her, Sir!"

"You also happen to love my wife."

Unable to betray his feelings, Mike couldn't deny the truth, so he simply hung his head and waited for the axe to fall.

"The problem is, what do we do about it?" Kenneth paused, but got no response from the young agent. "You do realize you can't continue as her guard…"

"But I'd willingly give my life for her, Sir!" Mike protested.

"I understand and respect that, but you have to realize it wouldn't work on several levels. The first being, that if you're in love with the person you're guarding, you could become distracted and that could get your charge killed. The second is that the woman you are in love with is married, and as such will always be out of reach. The third is the fact that I need to have complete trust in the people guarding my family. While I trust Sarah implicitly, I'm not comfortable with someone who is in love with her spending that many hours a day with her."

"So you want me to resign, Sir?" Mike asked quietly.

"Actually, no. I do have a question for you though and would like you to consider your answer carefully before giving it to me. Scott Jessup is a good agent, but as yet a bit untried in the field. He would make a very good second in command. Since Gordon is dead, I'll be needing a new lead agent. When Sarah was replaced, she had suggested you, but I felt if she had that much trust in you, that you would be a good choice for her agent. I wonder now if I was wrong in that…"

Mike interrupted him to say, "If you think that by not being her agent I wouldn't have fallen in love with her, I should tell you that I knew how I felt about her during the hijacking. That was before the two of you were engaged, Sir."

"I see. I guess I just should have been a bit more observant."

"Not really Sir, as soon as I found out she was in love with you, I buried my feelings for her."

"Until last night."

He hung his head in shame and quietly answered, "Yes Sir, but in my defense, I thought I was dying."

"And then these darn doctors had to go and spoil that?" Kenneth asked with a slight grin.

Sheepishly Mike answered, "Yes Sir."

"Well, be that as it may, let me get back to my question for you." At Mike's nod, Kenneth continued, "What I wanted to know was, can you work with Sarah in the vicinity, and yet keep your feelings in check?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean Sir?" Mike questioned.

"I would like to offer you the job of my lead agent, but I need to know if you can handle the fact that you would be guarding the husband of the woman you love?"

To be continued…..


	88. Chapter 88

Chapter 88

"Do you mean would I let you die so she and I could be together Sir?" Mike asked, not sure if that was really the question on Kenneth's mind. Or if it was an issue that he would have to deal with because it was the first question that popped into his mind.

"Well, that wasn't quite what I was thinking, but now that you mentioned it, I guess that could be a problem."

"Sir, I can honestly say that there is no way that I would let you get killed because of the feelings I have for Mrs. Kennex. I would do my utmost to protect you at all costs. She loves you, anyone can see it, and she almost died to protect you last night. It would kill her if something happened to you and even if it wasn't my job to protect you, I couldn't let anything happen to you because of her love for you. If you truly want me for the job as your lead agent, I swear to you that you won't ever regret it!"

"I believe that you mean that now Mike, but I would like you to promise me one thing. If there ever comes a time when you feel that you can't continue to do that job, you will come to me and tell me. Will you do that?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Alright then, as soon as you are fit for duty again, you have a job waiting for you!" Kenneth promised him and reached out to shake Mike's hand.

"Thank you Sir, you won't regret it, I promise you that!"

"I'm sure I won't. You concentrate on getting well now, you hear?"

"Yes Sir!" Mike responded as the President smiled and left his room.

When Kenneth arrived back at Sarah's room he met three Candy-stripers coming out of the room and two more that were waiting to enter. It seemed that they were the ones at the hospital that were in charge of delivering flowers and mail to the patients. He watched as the agents at the door searched the two girls and the flowers they were carrying before allowing them into Sarah's room. He entered the room just behind the girls to find that the room had become a greenhouse in his absence. It seemed that during the half an hour that he had been gone, there had been more than ten deliveries!

The room was filled with the aroma of several different kinds of flowers and it was becoming quite overpowering. On her bedside table there was also a stack of telegrams. She hadn't been in long enough for cards to have arrived by mail. Mac was looking around at all the deliveries with a somewhat helpless look on her face. Kenneth grinned and told her, "Normally your personal assistant would handle something like this, but since she isn't here, how about if I can see what I can do?"

"Oh good! I have no idea what to do with all this!"

"The first thing we should do is take all the cards and write on the back of them what arrangement they came with. Then the ones that you want to keep, you let me know, and the ones you don't we could donate to other patients. That way there will be less in the room because I am pretty sure that we haven't seen the last of the deliveries yet, my dear!"

"Oh that's a good idea!" she sighed in relief.

"Once you are home, your assistant can help you send 'thank you's' to everyone that sent you something."

"You sound like you have been through this before."

"Yes, when the twins had their tonsils out a year ago, their room looked a lot like this one is starting to."

"Well, I will be happy to follow your suggestions on this, I have never seen anything like it other than at a funeral!"

"You are a public figure now Sarah, anything that you do or happens to you is news. I'm sure if you turned on the television you would find the story repeated over and over again."

"I just hope they got it right and give credit where credit is due! Mike Rogers was a hero in my book!"

"Yes he was, and I thanked him from both of us just now. We will need to talk about something else that came up when you are feeling up to it my dear."

"I'm feeling pretty good now, what is it darling?"

"No, not now Sarah. I want you to sleep now, you look so tired."

"I guess I am, but we can talk as soon as I wake up, okay?"

"Yes dear," he smiled at her and kissed her gently as she allowed herself to drift off to sleep.

To be continued…..


	89. Chapter 89

Chapter 89

It was several hours later before Mac woke up, but she found Kenneth right where he'd been when she'd fallen asleep. He was in the chair next to her bed, but his head was lying next to their clasped hands on the side of the bed. She realized that every time she woke he'd been there at her side. He hadn't left the hospital since she'd been brought in.

Her innate sense of time told her that it was almost twenty-four hours since the plane had landed and the trouble had begun. She gently pulled her hand from his and raised it slightly to caress his stubbly cheek. His eyes opened at her touch and they exchanged smiles. "Hey you," she said softly.

"Hi," he responded, sitting up and stretching to try and get the kinks out.

"Kenneth, you need to get out of here and get some real sleep. A shower and a good meal probably wouldn't hurt either."

"Sarah, I don't want to leave you," he protested.

"Now don't be that way! I'm doing fine and am not going anywhere."

"That's not the point! I just don't want to leave you. This is supposed to be our honeymoon after all."

"Yeah and while I've been in bed the whole time, it's not much of a honeymoon if you're not in here with me. Please darling, go and sleep in a real bed, grab a shower and shave. I'll still be here in the morning and you'll feel a lot better for having done so."

Considering her words, he knew she was right, but he still hated to leave her. "Darling, are you sure?"

"Yes I am. Come back in the morning all rested and then you can tell me about what is going on with Mike Rogers."

"All right, my love," he told her leaning over to give her a kiss and head for the door.

Looking after him as the door closed, she huffed, "Well he could have at least waited 'til I went back to sleep!"

Kenneth did talk with her the next morning about promoting Rogers to his lead agent as soon as he was fit for duty again. Watching Sarah's face to see if she gave any indication that she knew of Mike's feelings for her, Kenneth decided not to bring it up when it didn't seem apparent she knew. Mac readily agreed that Mike would be great for the job and gently teased her husband that it had been her idea in the first place.

He agreed that it had, and then talk turned to Paul Gordon. Comparing notes, all they could come up with for his motivation was that he'd been passed over for the lead agent spot and that he had admitted to being Donna's lover. Neither one of those reasons seemed enough to have done what he had, but then no matter what the physiological background checks cover, they can't always tell what stressors will set someone off. As they were puzzling things through, Mac confessed to Paul's harassment of her. Kenneth was very upset that she hadn't come to him about it.

"When it started, I was just your guard. Uncle Joe knew about some of it, but I wanted to handle it on my own. I needed to prove myself. I had no idea any of this was brewing!"

"None of us saw it coming Sarah, and I do understand your need to prove yourself. I just like the thought that I could have been there to protect you! Some kind of husband I've turned out to be! You've saved my live twice!"

"It was really just a case of self-preservation, darling. If you had died, I would have been left alone to raise three children and my lovely new office would have gone to waste!"

He chuckled along with her and the subject was dropped.

The flowers and telegrams continued to arrive along with cards starting on the second day. They finally began tapering off by the fourth day.

To be continued…..


	90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

The week passed with agonizing slowness for Mac. Here it was her honeymoon for God's sake and she was in a hospital bed…alone! Okay, sure, it was Kenneth's honeymoon too, but this fiasco just seemed to illustrate the disaster her love life had always been.

Kenneth tried to keep her amused and entertained, but all she wanted was to be in his arms. While they had exchanged many kisses, it just wasn't the same as making love to her new husband! So, as the days went by, she became cranky and sullen. By Friday, Kenneth was at his wits end. His lovely happy bride had vanished and in her place was someone he hardly recognized.

Her doctor came in on Friday and after giving her a quick exam and checking her chart, he told her that she could be released that afternoon. He did however warn her that she probably wouldn't be up to resuming marital activities for at least another week. Mac snorted and rolled her eyes. She was already getting out of bed and heading for the closet to get her clothes.

The change in her was like night and day! She was suddenly happy and smiling again as she stripped off the hospital gown and reached for her clothes. Kenneth grinned as she unabashedly dressed in front of him; it was almost as if he wasn't there except that she kept chattering at him.

"You do know that there is no way that we are going to wait another week to have 'marital relations', don't you?!" she asked, and then didn't even wait for Kenneth to answer before she was off again. "I mean who does he think he's kidding! A week! Good Lord we've been married only a week and hardly had any time to have 'marital relations' before I got shot. Now he wants me to wait another week to jump your bones? Who does he think he is?! I'll have you know that you'll be lucky to get me to a bed before I am all over you, husband dear!" she ranted, and only stopped when she heard him burst out laughing.

Kenneth was holding his sides and tears were streaming down his face he was laughing so hard. Lord how he loved this woman! She was simply amazing and he would be forever grateful that she came into his life!

"WHAT IS SO FUNNY?!" she demanded with her hands on her hips.

"You, my love! You are so sweet and wonderful, and I love you with all my heart!" he answered with a chuckle.

"Good…I think! Now get me out of here so I can make wild and passionate love to you!"

"Yes Ma'am!" he grinned and saluted her.

Mac knew that the agents and Kenneth had been staying at a hotel in town during the short breaks he took from her bedside. Even though his family estate was only twenty-five minutes out of town, Kenneth just hadn't wanted to be that far away from her, plus it would have added the hour round trip time to how long he would be gone. Because of that, Mac had just assumed that when she was released they would go to the hotel.

The press that had camped out in the lobby the entire time the new First Lady was hospitalized was there when her wheelchair, pushed by a nurse's aid and surrounded by secret service agents, came out of the elevator. Kenneth was right next to her, holding her hand as he walked beside her chair.

There had been no plan to stop and speak to the press, but as the questions started flying, Mac noticed a young woman with quiet sad eyes trying to make her way to the front of the crowd. She held a single white rose in her hand, no pencil, paper, microphone, or camera. Her eyes met Mac's and something in them drew Mac in.

Telling everyone to stop, she pointed out the woman to Kenneth and Elaina Lopez. With a nod, Elaina approached the woman as the rest of the agents closed the gap. After a quick discreet search, Elaina brought her forward. She was allowed to approach Mac's chair, but all the agents were hyper-alert.

Handing Mac the rose she said, "My daughter and I were in the emergency room when you were brought in, and when we realized who you were, she wanted to say a prayer that you wouldn't die. She died later that night, but not before asking me if I would give you a flower and tell you something if I could."

Mac gently asked what her daughter had said. The woman leaned over and whispered something in Mac's ear that made her cry. Giving her a hug and telling her thank you, Mac told the agents she was ready to go.

To be continued…..


	91. Chapter 91

Chapter 91

During the week she'd been in the hospital, the two SUV's they'd used had been repaired and were waiting out in front of the hospital when she was wheeled out. They had been checked, rechecked, and checked again, at both Kenneth's and Joe Leland's insistence.

Mac was helped into the vehicle and they drove off. As soon as they were settled Kenneth asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "Sarah, what did that woman say to you?"

"She told me that her daughter had asked her to tell me that if she got to heaven, she would ask for a miracle for me! Isn't that just the saddest thing you have ever heard?" she asked as tears fell down her face and she buried her head in his shoulder.

"Yes it is. It is also the sweetest thing I think I have ever heard. What miracle do you think she will ask for?" he asked her tenderly.

"I don't know, but I bet if it happens we will know it was from her," she sighed.

"I bet you're right," he answered.

"Kenneth, where are we going?" Mac asked when she looked out the window and realized they were leaving town.

"We're going to the estate. Since we don't have to be back in DC until Monday morning, I thought we could spend the last two days of our honeymoon there."

Mac snuggled into his arms and said, "That sounds perfect my love."

They arrived at the estate and after a short tour, Mac made sure that everyone heard just how tired she was and that she needed to rest. Taking Kenneth by the hand, she made a beeline for the room he had said was his. The agents shared a knowing grin and settled in for the night. They informed the cook to have a dinner ready for the couple that could be kept warm, until such a time as they emerged from their 'rest'.

Mac quickly discovered that her back injury kept her from being able to have Kenneth making love to her in the missionary position. So they switched to her on top, but that posed another problem. She still tired too quickly to ride him to fulfillment. Sighing in frustration, they kept working at it until they found a position that worked and quickly fell into an exhausted sleep almost before they had recovered.

After a short nap, they got up to enjoy the dinner that had been prepared for them, and so went the next two days. Between eating and sleeping they got in as much loving as they could.

Both of them were happy to hear that Mike Rogers had recovered enough to return to DC with them on Sunday afternoon. However, it would still be several weeks before he was able to resume full duties.

The plane flew in to a hero's welcome; there was press and general population all there to meet them when they stepped off. Mac was met with cheers when she stepped into the doorway. She smiled and waved even though she didn't feel that she deserved such a welcome home. Looking into the plane behind her, she took Mike Rogers hand and pulled him out onto the steps next to her and held his hand high so he got some of the recognition as well.

Kenneth watched this interaction between them and other than a slight blush of embarrassment from Mike, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. As the group reached the bottom of the steps a young child came forward, escorted by Agent Hodge and presented the First Lady with a bouquet of a dozen red roses. She smiled and thanked the child, but thought of the single white rose she had gotten two days before. That single flower meant more than all the bouquets that she ever could have gotten. She had pressed that flower and would keep it always.

There were many questions being thrown out by the press gathered there but one stood out above the others, one that Mac just had to answer. "Mrs. Kennex with all the secret service agents that were there during the incident, why was it that you ended up protecting the President?"

"I didn't. Mike Rogers was the one that ended up protecting us both! He saved both of our lives. When duty calls, we all have to do our part to answer that call, no matter what the risk to ourselves. We have to remember that we all answer to a higher calling," Mac answered, as Kenneth stood next to her with his arm around her waist.

The agents quickly swept them into the helicopter that would return them to the White House where the children were waiting for them.

THE END


End file.
